Renegade
by Oliversgurl
Summary: After Duo is caught and arrested for murder a police officer and a lawyer set about changing his life for the better; but things don't always go as planned.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm.

Anyway, this fic is dedicated to Shenlong and Snowdragonct for all their help in getting me to post this up, as well as for inspiring me wit their own works. Thanks for all your advice, you guys rock... seriously.

You'll have to forgive my rudimentary knowledge of the Justice system. What I know is information gleaned from my stepdad (a cop) and my mom. You also have to forgive some of the complete fudging I do of Atlanta and the surrounding area, but hey, it's fanfiction. I'm allowed to mess with my state capitol.

Oh, and I'm still working on Magic's Slave, for you guys who are still interested. It's not abandoned, just on hiatus. My muses have fled.

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...77

* * *

Duo shifted nervously as he set pen to paper, keeping an eye out for the man who'd brought him in. _Mom,_ he wrote, _I'm so sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations. I know you couldn't afford to take care of me, and that's why I started running with Solo's gang again. Things were fine for a while; then he started assuming that just because I kept my hair long… he could treat me like a girl… treat me like he used to after the fire. _Tears fell on the page as he clutched the pen tight in his hand. _I killed him, ma._ He hadn't called her ma since he was eleven._ It was the last time he was going to use me; I couldn't deal with it anymore. And now they've got me locked up. Put away for murder… and stealing a car. The guy caught me speeding, and realized the car was stolen. Not to mention the blood all over me. I explained to him that it was self-defense, that it was the only way to keep Solo from hurting me more. The officer's going to let me use his lawyer, some kid named Winner, yeah ma… __**that **__Winner. You'd like the guy though. Tall and tan with chocolate brown hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. He said his name was Heero Yuy, and that he felt sorry for me. But anyway, if this lawyer can't get me out of this mess… you know the penalty for murder. I just wanted to let you know what happened, before the police came to you. I thought you'd want to hear it from your son. I love you mom. Never forget that._

Duo gently folded the paper and set it aside with the pen, fiddling with the tufted end of his braid. He looked up as Heero entered the office again, leading a small blond man who looked rather pleased with himself.

"You must be Mr. Maxwell." The blond nodded and held out a hand.

"Yeah, who else would I be?" Duo snorted, but shook the guy's hand anyway when Heero leveled a glare at him.

The blue eyed man chuckled and turned to Heero. "By Allah, Heero. Relax; I'm not going to give up this case if he's a little rude. It's rather refreshing, actually." The Arabian turned back to Duo, "Now, Mr. Maxwell, I'll need to sit and speak to you about everything that's happened. What you were doing, where you were, who you were with… I really need details from you. If this is what I think it is, you won't even have to go to trial over it. Though, if we do, I haven't failed a case and I'm not about to start."

Duo looked up at him warily. "Mr. Winner, I-"

"Call me Quatre." The man smiled enigmatically. "If you're going to be filling me in on all the details I want you to at least call me by name."

Duo nodded, his gut churning. "Fine. And call me Duo." He peeked over Quatre's shoulder and frowned. "And I don't want Officer Yuy in here while I'm giving you my statement."

Quatre sighed. "I can understand that you want to keep the details private, Duo. But if it gets you out of prison I can't be the only one that hears it. Heero has already told me what he knows, and that's why he called me in. But I promise you, neither of us will say anything unless you give us permission."

Duo's scowl deepened, but he sighed and gave in. "Where do you want me to start?" he swallowed nervously.

"Wherever you feel comfortable starting, Duo. The beginning isn't a bad place." The lawyer grinned.

Duo nodded and took a deep breath; _I get the only lawyer in town with a sense of humor… Great_. "My mom worked part time in a dry cleaner's store, and she never had enough money to make ends meet…"


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm.

Anyway, this fic is dedicated to Shenlong and Snowdragonct for all their help in getting me to post this up, as well as for inspiring me with their own works. Thanks for all your advice, you guys rock... seriously.

You'll have to forgive my rudimentary knowledge of the Justice system. What I know is information gleaned from my stepdad (a cop) and my mom. You also have to forgive some of the complete fudging I do of Atlanta and the surrounding area, but hey, it's fanfiction. I'm allowed to mess with my state capitol.

And chapter 1! I'm pretty proud of this chapter, there have been some minor changes to it over the past week, but all it all I think this is a pretty strong continuation. This _was_ going to be updates Saturday, but I got impatient. Enjoy! This won't happen next week :P

Oh, and I'm still working on Magic's Slave, for you guys who are still interested. It's not abandoned, just on hiatus. My muses have fled.

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

Duo undid the latch on the screen door and stepped into the cool morning air. The note he'd left on the table merely informed his mom that he'd gotten a job to help pay for the bills, and though he never lied, he couldn't tell her the whole truth either. It would have broken her heart.

He shouldered on the backpack that lay at his feet and took the road westwards, waving to his neighbors and looking cheery.

"Morning Duo!" An older man weeding his garden stood up straight and smiled. "Got school this morning?"

"No sir." Duo said politely. "I managed to get a job, so I'll be helping my mom out with the bills. No more time to audit classes for me."

"That's a shame son. A boy as smart as you could go far." The man walked over and leaned on the fence. "I hope you'll go back one day, as a regular student, I mean. I know your mom needs help and all, but don't throw your life away for her sake Duo. You know she wouldn't want that."

"I know, Mr. Bickerton." Duo smiled. "I'll see if my job will let me off early on Fridays so I still have time to slip into one of the classes."

"Good." The old man nodded. "I'm sorry the only help I can give is advice. If I had the extra-"

"I know, sir." Duo smiled reassuringly, even as his stomach churned. "It's fine though. We can take care of ourselves."

"I know you can, boy." Mr. Bickerton smiled fondly. "Both you and your mother are proud people. Good luck, son."

Duo nodded again, and left the old man to his gardening. His insides writhed restlessly, and he felt his breakfast trying to make a reappearance. _ Please, heartburn do not show up today. I can't afford to show any weakness to Solo's gang._

He ducked down a small side alley, and climbed in short length of chain link fence, before dropping to the ground. Casting a look around the area he'd dropped into, he took a deep breath and waited.

It didn't take long for two. blond twin youths two come sniffing around. "Looks like another country kid that doesn't know any better."

"Tsk, should we teach him a lesson? Show him Solo's turf is his alone and he doesn't want fresh chickenshit getting where they don't belong?"

"Sounds good to me."

Duo grinned, he had never heard these voices before, so he was sure they wouldn't recognize him… His name on the other hand… "Before you do something hasty, boys, you might want to know who I am."

The left one put his hands on his hips and his brother mirrored his stance and added a sneer. "Well go on…" the left one said. "Tell us who you are, we haven't got all day." His brother finished.

"Duo Maxwell." Duo grinned. _Hook, line, and sinker._ "I ran with Solo years ago, before I got adopted out… and before the fire."

The shell-shocked looks on the boys faces at his name, melted into two looks of malicious glee. "Solo's been looking for you, alright."

"I'm sure he'd love to catch up."

"Follow us."

The cocky grin slipped from Duo's face and was replaced by a worried frown as he nibbled at his bottom lip and followed the two blonds. Solo looking for him was never a good thing. While they had been friends as children, best friends, Solo had come to resent Duo after a chicken pox epidemic wiped out half of the orphanage before the fire and had left Solo hideously scarred, but had left Duo unscathed. If Solo was looking for him, nothing good could follow. The man was actually five years older than Duo, and their relationship had always been… awkward. He contemplated making a break for it, but they reached the old boy's and girl's club in short order.

"Go on." One twin waved him in.

"We're right behind you."

"Just to watch your back, of course."

Duo took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The building was definitely not up to code, but it was livable. And comfortable. Solo kept up repairs, and saw that nothing stayed broken for very long. The electricity worked and the walls were solid. Solo himself fixed any holes, filling them with drywall mud and sanding them back to a smooth finish. While he wasn't the best of people, Duo could admit that he looked after his gang. No one went hungry or without clothes or a place to sleep. He had created a safe haven, and the kids of the street loved him for it.

"Duo!" The man emerged from a side office, looking utterly smug and unsurprised. "It's good to see you again." Each scar on Solo's face stood out in stark relief and Duo felt like he should be on his knees, crying and apologizing.

"Solo," he inclined his head and stiffened his spine, "I need a job. We have too many bills and not enough money to eat. Mom is starving."

Solo nodded like he expected this, the bastard. "I see. Are you willing to do… _whatever_ I want you to do? Like you used to?"

Duo gritted his teeth, but nodded.

"Then welcome back." The broad smile that crossed Solo's face made him look even uglier. "You can start tonight. At the Schbeiker junkyard someone has come into a set of car parts that sell very well on the black market. Get them, and four hundred dollars is yours. No questions asked, and you're free 'til next week. And then we'll see if you're good at anything _other_ than stealing."

Duo sneered, "You should remember what I'm good at Solo. You took it from me often enough."

"I want to see if you've gotten any better since then." Solo smiled innocently. "It's been a long time. If you always steal for me, then the police are going to recognize you." Then the man frowned. "Speaking of which, you're going to need to cut off that ridiculous hair. Everyone will know if you keep it."

Duo grabbed his braid and pulled it to rest against his chest over his shoulder and stroked it like a cat. "Never," he snarled, "if Father Maxwell and Sister Helen couldn't make me cut it off, I sure as hell won't for you."

Solo narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But if you get caught, don't expect any of us to come after you."

"I never get caught, Solo."

"Just do the job."

"Absolutely." The braided boy suddenly dimpled with a mischievous grin. "You said you wanted those parts tonight?"

"Of course."

"Doesn't leave much time for planning." Duo leaned against the wall and smirked. "What if there are dogs?"

"You've always been good at making shit up."

A snort. "Of course." Then he cracked his knuckles. "This is gonna be fun!"

* * *

A lone figure dressed in black crept along the chain-link fence of the Schbeiker Junkyard, pausing at regular intervals to inspect the bottom. Clouds obscured the moonless sky, making it a perfect night… except for the streetlamps… and the dogs.

Duo cursed at having dodged yet _another_ German Shepherd and wondered why he didn't bring food, like kibble or even a steak, like in cartoons. Eyes alighting on a loose section of fence, he pulled it up from the ground and waited for the sound of another dog. After hearing nothing he pulled out a pair of wire clippers and clipped off the last six inches of fence, making sure he didn't expose any bare skin before he wriggled under. When he was safely through he stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes before creeping towards the building Solo's people told him housed the car parts. He was nearly to the door when a hand caught him at the scruff and braid and hauled him upright.

"Duo Maxwell, what the _hell_ are you doing?"

Duo squirmed. "Fuck, Howard, lemme go!"

The mustached man in the pink Hawaiian shirt laughed. "I don't think so, kiddo. Why don't you tell me why you were sneaking in?"

Duo went limp and muttered one word, "Solo."

"Fuck, Duo, I thought you stopped running with him?"

"Need the money."

"Duo, we offered you a j-"

"Yeah, but you won't- can't pay enough money!"

Howard was silent for a few moments. "Which parts did you need."

"The antique ones."

Howard whooshed out a breath of air. "Fine. I'll tell Hilde you needed them more. Stay put."

* * *

"So this… Howard person… just _gave_ you the parts?" Quatre raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Duo nodded. "Yeah, me'n Hilde and Howard go way back. Almost as far back as me'n Solo did."

He heard a snort from the officer and looked up, indigo eyes flashing dangerously. "You think I'm lyin' Officer Yuy?"

Heero nodded once.

"Then you don't fuckin' know me!" he snarled, "I'm Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie. And you can take that to the fuckin' bank. Now why don't you leave me alone and get another donut to pad your fat ass?" He was pleased when the cop's Prussian blue eyes narrowed and his mouth opened to retort.

"I think a break is a good idea." The lawyer interrupted casting a cool glance through aqua eyes at them both. "Could you get Trowa for me, Heero? I need to speak to him about a… case." Duo watched a flush creep up the blond's neck.

Heero nodded once again and stepped out of the room.

"A case, Quat?" Duo grinned.

"Shut up!" Quatre hissed. "You don't know me, I don't know you, and if you want me to stay on this case we have to act like it. And stop antagonizing Heero! He thought well enough of your honesty to call me, didn't he?"

"But Kitty-Quat…"

"No! This is _serious_ Duo! They really would take me off the case if they knew!" Quatre looked slightly panicked.

Duo appeared suitably cowed. "Fine, then can I meet this Trowa? The one that makes you blush like a virgin?"

Quatre blushed again. "Yes, that's fine. But-"

"I know, I know. I don't know you."

"Quatre…"

Duo looked up, and quickly smothered a grin. The man who walked through the door had a smile of soft joy gracing his lips and the eye not covered by his unibang practically glowed.

Quatre stood and quickly crossed the room, throwing his arms around the taller man in a hug. "It's good to see you again, Trowa, I just wish it didn't have to be under these circumstances."

Trowa raised a questioning glace over at Duo.

Duo caught it and waved a little. "I'm his newest client. And don't worry about it. Molest my lawyer all you want."

Quatre's face flamed and he pulled out of Trowa's hug. "Mr. Maxwell, I…" he sputtered to a stop.

"So we're back to last names? And we were getting along so well." Duo grinned and leaned back in his chair, a pleased smirk hovering about his lips.

Trowa stepped over and extended a hand. "Trowa Barton. You're Yuy's project too, you know."

"Mr. Perfect Cop?" Duo shook Trowa's hand, eyebrows scrunched together, and then the cop's last name registered, "Wait, Barton? As in, Crime Lord Barton? The scourge of the homeless?"

"My unfortunate Uncle. Yes."

Quatre blinked, "'Scourge of the homeless?' What do you mean?"

"His goons round up the homeless kids that no one cares about. Tells them he'll give them jobs, a life… But he turns them into whores and drug peddlers who bring more kids into his "services." Even Solo hated him." Duo shrugged. "Thought you knew all that, being a hot shot lawyer?"

"We knew he controlled the criminals, well… most of them." Quatre admitted. "But we didn't know he did so much. Are you sure there's no one else out there?"

"Not anymore."

"Oh."

There was a moment or two of awkward silence, in which Duo found a potted petunia in the corner of the office fascinating; before Heero stepped inside the office and handed a glass of water to Duo with a quiet grunt.

Duo took it gratefully, casting a surprised look at the Japanese man. "I take it this is my cue to start again?"

"I can leave if you want." Trowa offered, oblivious to the crestfallen expression on Quatre's face.

"Nah, Tro'. Besides, Q-man doesn't want you to leave." Duo grinned and took another sip, before setting the glass on the desk.

"Nicknames, Mr. Maxwell?" Quatre raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Heero grunted again, well aware that Duo was avoiding the subject.

"Yeah. Defense mechanism." Duo winked. "Alright, since tall dark and silent is grunting at me again, well, after Howard got the parts for me, I hightailed back to the boys and girls club…"

* * *

Duo took a deep breath and dropped the bag of clanking metal at Solo's feet. "There. I got your damn car parts. Where's my money?"

Solo stepped forward and held out an envelope. When Duo reached for it, he found himself suddenly enveloped in a hug with Solo's mouth right next to his ear, hot breath sending unwanted shivers over his skin. "You did well today, Duo. Next week, we'll see what else you can do." Then he pulled back and held the envelope out again.

Duo took it cautiously, then turned on his heel and left. _I'm going to find another job. I'll do this until I find something that pays well. I don't have to do this anymore. I don't have to listen to him._

But he didn't. Weeks flew by, and still no other job. Solo had taken to calling him out more than once a week for odd jobs, and Duo started to relax. There was never anything too objectionable, and Solo never touched him after that first hug until…

"Duo. Come here." The scarred man crooked a finger at him in silent demand and he made his way over to where Solo was sitting on a plush computer chair.

"Yeah?"

"Come with me. I've got a business proposition to discuss with you… out of the range of prying ears."

Duo stared at the other man warily, before he nodded and followed Solo deeper into the building, past where he'd seen most of the members living. When Solo waved him through a door he raised his eyebrows in silent question.

"My private office."

Duo snorted, but stepped inside. The door shut with a loud click and Duo found himself suddenly struggling to get away from an insistent mouth and hands that pinned him to the wall. "Solo! Get off of me; I'm not going to be your goddamn fucktoy again!" he yelled and kicked out _hard_, only to stop struggling as he heard the snick of a switchblade and felt cold metal on his neck. Hot breath played over his ear and it was given a few sharp nips before the mouth pulled away and bit down on the other side of his neck, rolling his skin between teeth as Solo's free hand wandered ever lower.

"I think you _are_, Duo. I think you're going to get down on your knees and suck my cock. You know why I think that?" Solo chuckled darkly. "Because if you don't," he pressed the blade a little farther into Duo's neck and cupped Duo's rear end, "I'm going to scar your pretty little face up, cut off that braid, and then something might… accidentally happen to your dear mother, and that would be such a _shame._"

* * *

Duo looked up from his chair at all the people staring at him. "It's not like I had any fucking choice." He ground out from between clenched teeth. "He was gonna kill mom! I couldn't do anything."

"Maxwell, you don't have to defend yourself." Heero spoke quietly. "You did what you had to do. The fault lies with the man that did this to you."

Trowa nodded his agreement.

Quatre also nodded and gave him a hug. "You poor thing. How long you have to put up with this?"

"Months. Years." Duo shrugged. "This all happened three years ago, you understand. Things are… different now. He's gone, and while I'm not exactly free, this is the closest I've been in a long time."

* * *

Duo checked the tape holding the switchblade to his arm, like he always did before going anywhere (you never knew how bad the streets were going to get and protection was always necessary), before he knocked on that same office door where Solo had cornered him three years ago. "Solo. You wanted to see me again? This is the third time today."

The door swung open, and Solo was already sitting in his favorite chair, pants unzipped, slowly fisting himself. "Well come on in, Duo. You know what to do by now. Do I have to make another threat?"

Duo sidled into the room and dropped to his knees, like he'd done for some many years, and took a deep breath before easing the hot flesh into his mouth. Making the decision that today was the last day he was going to put up with this shit, he worked the knife free from its restraint and took a deep breath, before biting down hard. Blood flowed into his mouth, choking him a little before he plunged the blade into Solo's windpipe to silence the older man's screams. When they had died to a gurgling rasp, Duo gutted his rapist and left him in the chair, struggling weakly to rise and give chase.

He hadn't planned this, he was just going to go along with Solo's attentions, but something inside of him today had snapped.

Duo ran from the building and slid into one of the many cars Solo had stolen, before putting pedal to the metal and driving as fast as he could out of town. He was almost to the city limits when the officer pulled him over.

"Blood?" The officer looked quite a bit queasy as he shined his flashlight at Duo's blood covered clothes.

"I just killed a rapist." Duo said tersely, and pointed to the knife in the passenger seat. "You gonna take me in, or what?"

* * *

"And that's how I got here. Officer Yuy kindly let me borrow the shower and some clean clothes, and then he called you, Mr. Winner." Duo took another sip of water and then a deep breath. "Think I got a chance?"


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm.

You'll have to forgive my rudimentary knowledge of the Justice system. What I know is information gleaned from my stepdad (a cop) and my mom. You also have to forgive some of the complete fudging I do of Atlanta and the surrounding area, but hey, it's fanfiction. I'm allowed to mess with my state capitol.

**Holy crap, this chapter was So. Much. Fun. I had the time of my life with the dialogue in this, and jeebas cripes ten pages of work. Now I know what Shenlong and Snowdragon meant by telling me that it makes its length on its own. **

**Anyway, a big warm thanks to all of my reviewers, and to those of you lurking but not reviewing. If you think my story is good, or bad, or whatever, just drop me a review. Even if it's just to say "Good job." Most readers look at review count before starting a story, so gimme a boost :3 Besides, I really love hearing feedback from you guys!**

Oh, and I'm still working on Magic's Slave, for you guys who are still interested. It's not abandoned, just on hiatus. My muses have fled.

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

Quatre took a deep breath and nodded. "You won't even be taken to trial." He said confidently. "The state isn't going to charge you for this. There was a woman who was raped and when the rapist returned she lay in wait and then shot him and killed him. If I play up the side where you're doing this for your mother you probably won't even get charged for the theft of the car." Quatre grinned smugly.

"Speaking of..." Officer Yuy cast a look at Trowa, "get some people to his mother's house. The rest of the gang may take revenge into their own hands. And take the letter, while you're at it."

Trowa nodded and gave Quatre a lingering hug before hurrying out of the room.

Duo blinked in surprise at Heero. "You... thank you."

Heero snorted. "Don't look so surprised, Maxwell. I just don't want another person to die in my city today. I have enough to worry about with Dekim Barton ruining this place."

Duo opened his mouth to deliver a scathing retort when Quatre cut him off again. "Heero, can I have a few minutes alone with my client? I need to clarify a few things, and it's obvious that your presence irritates him."

Heero raised an eyebrow at Quatre before nodding and stepping just outside the door.

"Duo, please keep your opinions to yourself around him. He's not as bad as he seems. He's just very professional."

"Bullshit, Quat!" The braided man frowned. "He's a grade A jackass and you know it! How could you be-"

"I don't care if he threatened to cut off your braid, Duo! Remember that he called me instead of handing you over to some state funded sleaze who would have given you up as a lost cause! Treat him with some respect!" Then in a softer tone, "Besides, I wanted to thank you for leaving us out of your story. It's not that I regret what we had, but…"

"I know Quat. It's fine. It would ruin you if they knew you had a relationship with me when I was out whoring for money." Duo shook his head. "I still don't know why I thought that was preferable to stealing for Solo and his thugs."

"And you just disappeared without a word!" Quatre reached a trembling hand out to Duo's cheek. "Why did you disappear?"

"I needed to. I had to go back to Solo, and I wasn't going to burden you with my decision. And Quat… before you say it, I couldn't stay with you and start a new life. I had to think of mom…"

"I know Duo… I just… I thought you were dead. I thought you'd been killed out on the streets or that one of Solo's thugs had gotten to you. And then I get this call from Heero… that he needs me to come in and represent a man with a long braid…"

"You moved on, I noticed."

The blonde Arabian wrung his hands together and bowed his head. "Allah, Duo, if I had known you were alive I never would have… Nothing! I heard nothing from you for a year!" He pulled Duo into a fierce hug. "One word from you though and I would be more than willing to-"

"Stop, Quat. Shhh." Duo ran a soothing hand through the lawyer's blond and silky hair. "This guy makes you happier than I ever could and I can see that. Don't give that up just because I got shoved back into your life. Duo heard a sniffling noise and he laughed. "Are you crying, Quat?"

"Course not." Quatre sniffled again. "I'm just allergic to your shampoo."

Duo laughed again and pushed Quatre away from him. "Now, come on, Quat. Sit and tell me all about Tro' so I can see if he's worthy of you or not."

Quatre sat across from Duo and grinned. "Well for one, he's hot in that uniform, as I'm sure you've noticed, and he doesn't take me being a lawyer personally. Not to mention all of his friends are fantastically tolerant of us." He sighed dreamily. "He used to be a gymnast too, and his sister makes the most divine cheesecake… and Trowa can cook too! And he treats me… Allah, he treats me like I'm the most precious thing on Earth. We fit together, he understands me like no one can… since you."

"Aww! That's the sappiest thing I've ever heard, Quat! There's no way I could come between ya'll now." Duo grinned. "So have you boned him yet?"

The blush crept up Quatre's neck again and he sputtered.

"Aww, you know I'm just teasing you, Quat. We both know you have bottom stamped on your forehead." The braided man sniggered.

"I do not!" Quatre stamped his foot.

"Not helping your case any there, Q-man." Duo raised an eyebrow and quirked one side of his mouth up in a half grin.

"Shut up."

"Fine, fine. So where did you meet Mr. tall, sexy, and vision impaired?"

"Vision impaired?"

"The hair. That unibang." Duo clarified.

"Oh um…" The blond mumbled something.

"What was that Q-ball?"

"The… Three Legged Cowboy(1)." Quatre's face was tomato red by this point and he was fidgeting in his seat.

"The… _really_?" Duo shook his head and scoffed. "Your taste in music leaves a little to be desired, man."

"Oh, bullshit, Duo." Quatre protested. "Who was it driving my rusty pick-up out to my family's farm last year belting out 'Ladies Love Country Boys?'"

"That was just a moment of weakness!"

"Like crying during 'Where Were You?' Or Karaoke night singing 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia?'"

"Okay. Fine. Not _all_ country music sucks."

Quatre raised an eyebrow and leveled a look at him until he squirmed.

"Okay, jeeze! I like it too! Jesus, Quat, you could kill with that look!"

"That's the point. I use it on reluctant clients."

"Well it works!" he shivered. "Anyway, where is he from? Has he always lived up here around Atlanta?" Duo leaned forward.

"Nah, he moved up here from Savannah. His family all still lives down there. He came up here to get away from them."

"I take it they don't like us scary homosexuals?"

"No, it's not that. Definitely not the case at all. They're pretty amazingly tolerant for a Catholic Bible Belt family."

"Heh, tolerant compared to yours, Winner?"

Quatre grinned, and continued, ignoring the comment. "He just didn't want to deal with being an officer around the ports, and his family is heavily involved with them."

"What about that Uncle of his? Just a Black Sheep?"

Quatre snorted. "Dekim was here long before Trowa moved up here. I think he moved here to try and get that sleaze behind bars."

"Sounds like a plan." Duo grinned. "I really hope someone can do it. He needs to be taken down, then maybe some of these street kids can at least _try_ and have a better life." Duo sighed and leaned back in his chair. "S'not like they have any choice or any help from the outside, y'know?"

Quatre nodded. "The best we can do is put them in foster care when they get caught stealing. It's not an ideal situation in any way."

Duo nodded again, and then sat up straight, indigo eyes flashing as Heero stepped back into the room and cleared his throat.

"Doctor Merquise wants to examine him for trauma. To help with the case," Heero said softly.

"Ah." Quatre stood and brushed off his pants. "I'll be seeing you later, Duo. I'll let Heero take you to see Sally and then you'll have to stay in a holding cell until they come to a decision. Oh and one more thing; you didn't plan to take Solo's life when you went back there, right?"

Duo shook his head. "I always carry that knife. In case someone decides I'm an easy target because I look like a girl." Then he frowned, "So I have to let a strange woman poke and prod me to find trauma?"

"Doctor Merquise is the best physician in the city," Heero asserted calmly. "If you object to her, we could always send for someone from Grady Memorial(2)."

"If you're gonna do that, might as well kill me now and get it over with." Duo grinned weakly.

"That could be arranged."

_Well, slap me silly! Ice-cold Yuy just made a joke!_ Duo blinked rapidly and Quatre slipped out the door while the braided man was distracted. "Well then, lead on, Officer Yuy. Don't want to make the good doctor wait."

Heero grunted and led the way.

A short walk later, after which Duo felt dizzy and confused because of all the twists and turns, they arrived at a door simply labeled _Doctor Sally Merquise_. Heero knocked lightly on the door and then stepped inside, motioning for Duo to follow him.

"Ah, good!" A young looking woman with blond hair in braids over her shoulders and framing her face looked up from a laptop screen. "You're here, finally." She held out a hand "I'm Doctor Merquise, and _you_ must be Duo Maxwell."

"Only if I must," he quipped and shook her hand.

"Officer Yuy, if you'd please leave us, and Duo… strip."

Heero made a coughing noise that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh before retreating and leaving Duo with the doctor.

"Could I have some privacy, lady?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm about to see everything anyway, but if you and your delicate male modesty insist…" She handed him a hospital gown. "You've got three minutes." Then she pulled the curtain, and stepped out the door.

The indigo-eyed man changed in record time, and was already seated on the examining table long before Sally opened the door again.

"Good." She smiled reassuringly. "All I'm going to do today is check for injuries and evidence of the rape. If I do anything that hurts let me know and I'll stop immediately."

Duo nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Sally started by checking his vitals and checking them off on her laptop. When she had finished the basic exam and pronounced him otherwise healthy and fit, she hesitated. "Duo, I'm going to need you to bend over the end of the table there so I can check you for external genital injuries and internal rectal injuries. Okay?"

Duo swallowed unhappily, but nodded and did as she instructed anyway. Ten minutes, cold lube, and even colder instruments later she told him he could stand. He watched her put samples in sealed containers and take some more notes to go with them before she pressed a button on the wall.

"Forensics, the samples for 228 are done, can you come and retrieve them?"

"Why call when I'm right here?"

Duo watched as a man with long, _Longer than mine! _blond hair stepped into the doorway from the hall and leaned on the frame.

"Zechs!" Sally smiled and jumped up to kiss the blond and hand him the samples. "The sooner you get done, the sooner we can go home."

"For you?" he kissed her again, "Anything."

Duo blinked as the tall blond man left just as quickly as he'd arrived. "Uh… who was that?"

"My husband." She smiled. "He's the head of Forensics. No one better in the Southeast. Now, get dressed and I'll call Heero back to escort you to your holding cell." She shrugged apologetically. "Sorry we can't let you go home."

"I understand, I may be getting tried for murder."

"Not with the evidence I just got," she said angrily.

Duo nodded. "Thanks. Uh… privacy?"

She rolled her eyes. "Men!" and stepped outside once again.

Duo dressed again, grateful to be covered and called out, "I'm decent!"

Sally and Heero both stepped inside the doorway and Heero gestured. "Come on. I have paperwork to fill out before I can go home."

Duo bit back a reply and meekly followed Heero to his temporary home: a small, white holding cell with all the necessities. When the lock clicked, trapping him inside, he let out a sigh of relief and flopped onto the bed. Exhaustion and relief caught up with him and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Three days later, he was seated in front of a large desk and staring up at a very intimidating woman with brown hair done in two braided buns at the nape of her neck. Duo had a sense of looking up at his own executioner as she pierced him with an angry gaze through her glasses.

"Mr. Maxwell," she began, "the state has decided, that in the case of one Solo and the circumstances regarding his death, you are not to be charged with murder. However, there is still the matter of the stolen car, and you being in possession of such stolen property. You are therefore sentenced to four years of probation, with Officer Yuy as your Probation officer. He will be keeping tabs on you as well as your whereabouts with this GPS enhanced tracking device." She smirked and held it up for Duo's inspection. "It goes around your ankle and will be checked once a week. If you go _anywhere_ other than where you have told us, you will be taken to prison."

Surprisingly Duo was not the first to protest.

"Commander," Heero stepped forward, "I've been working with Officers Chang and Barton on the Dekim case. Surely you can't take me off of that to watch over this…" he stopped and considered his words for a moment, "This unfortunate victim?"

"Say what you were gonna say, Yuy." Duo slumped in the seat, "S'not like I ain't heard worse from Officers before."

Une shook her head. "Now is _not_ the time gentlemen. I have too many things to do, and not enough time to do them. You're dismissed."

Duo groaned unhappily as his ankle was fitted for its new "bracelet" and he was led from the room.

"Duo? Can I talk to you a moment?" Quatre caught him by the sleeve and gave him a look.

"Sure, Quat. What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about school. You wanted to go back, didn't you?" Quatre twiddled his fingers nervously. "I mean, you _did_ say that you were auditing some classes at Southern Poly, right?"

"Yeah, Q-ball. What about it? It's not like I could afford to go there now," he grumbled and scuffed at the floor.

"I wanted to propose something." The blond took a deep breath. "Let me pay for your education, Duo. It's something you really need, and really want. So let me help you." Quatre turned large aquamarine eyes on the braided man.

"Fuck, Quat. You can't just offer something like that!" Duo shook his head. "No way, man. You're my lawyer. I can't let you."

"What if I make it a loan?"

"What?"

"I'll pay for your school," Quatre explained, "as long as you promise to pay me back at some point."

Duo cocked his head to the side as he considered it. "Sure. I could go for that. A loan it is then! Thanks Q-man."

"It's not a problem, Duo. I just want you to be happy, after all."

* * *

A week later Duo was registered for the fall quarter over at Southern Polytechnic and taking classes to prepare him for being a high school teacher of chemistry and physics. He'd joined the marching band (having played trumpet in high school) and was making copies of his schedule for Heero to take back to the office.

"Are you almost finished yet?" Heero stood in the doorway of his bedroom, Prussian eyes darting around and taking in the sights.

"Yeah, I've got my class schedule, the football game schedule for Tech(3) and then a schedule of band activities, oh and a schedule of activities for GLSA(4)." He held up various sheets of paper. "Here's an Excel spreadsheet with everything listed on it, and the times, all color coded."

"Ah, thanks for getting all of this organized for us." He took a look at the complete schedule. "Kuso! When are you going to have time to do homework? And how am I supposed to do my job and keep up with you all the time?" Heero goggled at the brightly colored sheet of paper in his hands.

"Heh. Don't worry about it, Yuy. You don't have to hold my hand every step of the way, do ya?"

"No, but…"

"Not buts about it. This is my life and now I finally have a chance to get everything on track. I'm going to take this and run with it!"

Heero nodded. "Alright. Let me take this back to the office and I'll see you next Friday then."

"It'll be late," Duo warned.

"Why?"

"Some initiation thing the band is doing. I've been told "It's Delicious and different, wear comfortable shoes' and that has me a little worried, but from everything I've heard, it isn't hazing, so I might as well go with it."

* * *

So when that Friday rolled around and Duo finally collapsed in his bed at four the next morning, he just had to roll over and call Quatre. "Oh, Q-ball, you are never gonna believe the night I had!"

Quatre's groggy voice came over the line. "It's four in the morning Duo, what the hell is going on?"

"I just went Dwarfing(5) with the Tech band!"

"Dw- what? What the hell is that?"

"I can't tell you!"

"Then why the hell are you calling me?"

"Uhm… because it was delicious and different?"

"The hell?"

"That's what the others told us! That it was delicious and different, wear comfortable shoes!"

"Duo… I'm hanging up now."

The dial tone pulsed in Duo's ear and he gave up and went to sleep.

* * *

The weeks in the semester flew by. Duo was so busy with classes and with all of his extracurricular activities that he started looking forward to his once a week meeting with Heero as a reprieve and a rest. He slowly but surely became fond of the prussian-eyed Japanese man. The guy was hot, to be sure, but the more Duo saw of him, the more of the man's true personality became apparent, and despite the circumstances they were fast becoming friends, rather than just Officer and criminal, though Duo still held onto his reservations and doubt, and placed both as a wall between them.

Duo was sitting in class, head bowed over a pencil and scratching away at his exam, trying to remember the final formula for this physics problem. He screwed up his face and stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth in concentration.

With a sudden flash of inspiration, he scribbled the answer down, just as the timer on the professor's desk went off, and stood with a flourish. He shouldered on his backpack, set the paper down with a sense of triumph, and moved out the door to head to his next class. He wasn't prepared to bump into Heero right outside the door.

"Good, Duo, you're done." The man was clearly agitated and fidgeting.

"Heer, what's wrong man?" Duo was puzzled, Heero _never_ showed this much emotion in public, ever.

"I've got terrible news, but this is not the place-"

"Terrible news? Quat!" Duo's mind started racing in panic.

"No, it's not Winner." Heero swallowed and looked a little green. "Duo… It's your mother. Some of Solo's old gang got to her. She'd dead, Duo."

The blood drained from Duo's face. "What?" he croaked out, before the world swam before his eyes and he passed out.

* * *

Okay guys time for a little explanation

Three legged Cowboy: a prominent Gay bar in Atlanta.

Grady Memorial Hospital: Also knows as "Gunshot Grady" this is the best place in Atlanta to get treated for a bullet wound. However, in the past you had to get out of there QUICK. The ventilation in the hospital was piss poor and patients would frequently get staph infections.

Tech: Georgia Tech

GLSA: ___Gay__-____Lesbian__-____Straight-Alliance_

Dwarfing: It's delicious and different, wear comfortable shoes. (Seriously, I can't say anything)


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm. I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system, which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Short, sweet, and to the point. I'm sure you'll all be glad I forced myself past the oh so obvious cliffhanger near the end. And I've been doing my best to keep this third person Limited, but I like seeing what Heero has to think every now and then.**

**Just in case anyone was wondering, yes, Quatre is Muslim. I know I said something about his "Big Catholic Family" but that's because he lives in the Bible belt and it makes sense. It's just another reason why his father has done his best to alienate him from their family. You know… the other reason being that Quat's gay. Rofl.**

**As always, drop me a review!**

Oh, and I'm still working on Magic's Slave, for you guys who are still interested. It's not abandoned, just on hiatus. My muses have fled.

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

Heero leaped forward and caught the braided convict who had been left under his supervision. Looking frantically about for some help, he lowered the slim man to the floor and pulled his SouthernLINC phone from its holster.

"Chang!" he barked into it, pressing the side button. "Du- Maxwell passed out, I need help moving him."

"On my way, Yuy," his partner's voice crackled over the phone and Heero could almost hear the man rolling his eyes and sighing.

Heero fussed over Duo's prone form, doing his best to keep the thin body off the cold tile until his partner could arrive and help him get the braided bakaon a couch. He whooshed out a relieved breath and silently thanked God when Wufei showed up at the end of the hall and jogged up to him.

"Status?"

"I caught him before he fell, so he isn't injured. Hopefully the shock will wear off soon," he replied. "Help me get him to that couch over there." Heero grasped the downed man by his armpits and waited for Wufei to grab the man's ankles.

Wufei rolled his eyes but together they hauled the unconscious Duo over to one of the couches in the lobby where the students were milling around. A glare from Heero and they all scattered.

"A little protective, Yuy?" Wufei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's hurt and in shock."

"Bullshit, Yuy. You said he didn't hit the floor. This obsession you have with him needs to stop. He's a criminal, for Christ's sake."

Heero just glared at him.

"That doesn't work on me and you know it."

A sigh, "I don't know."

"What was that?"

"I don't know why I care."

Wufei snorted. "Because you're delusional. Is he even gay? And if he is, then would he even want to be intimate with someone after what that scum did to him?"

"Chang, straight men don't go to the Three Legged Cowboy with Barton and Winner and dance with nearly every guy in the place."

Wufei just blinked at him.

"Straight men don't move their hips like that either."

"Too much information, Yuy. Maybe he's interested in Barton, or even Winner? It would fit, he seems to be fond of taking the easy way out, and Winner makes a lot, and his family is steeped in old plantation money."

Heero shook his head. "He treats Winner like a baby brother."

"What about Barton?"

"Would _you_ double cross Winner like that?"

"Point taken. But, Yuy, you're his _probation_ officer. He's not going to see you as potential date material."

"What you're saying makes sense. But ain't I allowed to hope?"

Wufei chuckled and gave him a wry smile, "I'd be worried if you didn't, Heero. So what is it about Maxwell? You seemed to hate him when you brought him in. You ranted at me for a week straight about being his babysitter if I remember correctly.

"It's mostly his spirit," Heero said, brushing some of Duo's bangs from his forehead, "Despite everything that's happened to him, he's still a bright and happy guy. He doesn't let anything get him down for long, and I'm firmly convinced he would be cracking jokes during Armageddon."

"Is that all?"

"No. He's beautiful, inside and out. Those eyes of his are bewitching, and his hair is just…" Heero sighed and continued to pet the unconscious man's bangs. "He's generous and giving, even when he has nothing to give."

"Yuy…" Wufei laid a hand on his arm, "I think I understand now, and I wish you luck. You'll need it with this one, I think."

"Your support means a lot to me. I know you haven't had it exactly easy, not since… well… You haven't had it easy. And I know dealing with a heartsick partner hasn't helped you at all."

"It's helped more than you think. You stop taking unnecessary risks, for one. You're going with regulations and you're trying to keep yourself alive." Wufei suddenly grinned, "We still have a spotless arrest record, and I can breathe easier because I know my partner and best friend isn't trying to get himself killed all the time. I'm really glad that you finally found someone to live for."

Heero opened his mouth to reply when a groan from Duo captured his attention. "Maxwell," he said softly, "are you alright? You don't ache anywhere? Do you remember what just ha-"

"No, I'm fine," Duo interrupted and pushed Heero's hand away before he sat up as best he could. "You…" he shook his head. "If you and Wuffers are here then this isn't a dream." He groaned. "What's going to happen to me now? I won't… I _can't_ go home."

"Don't call me Wuffers." Wufei frowned at him, "We'll be taking you to the station. Since you're on probation Une will decide what to do with you."

Duo rolled his eyes. _Great. I get shunted off to someone else. _"Whatever you say Fei-cakes. Let's just get this over with." He swung his legs over the edge of the couch and stood up on wobbly knees, oblivious to the worried expression on Heero's face.

He felt Heero's warm hand on his arm and she shrugged it off. "Fuck off, man. I don't need your help."

He didn't see the hurt in Heero's eyes or the disapproving grimace from Wufei; he just concentrated on getting out the door and to the police cruiser.

* * *

The police chief scowled at him and he scowled right back. "I told you, unless you want me back on the streets, I don't have anyone I can go to."

"Surely you have friends from your university that could lend you their home for a while?"

"I'm not going to impose on them. They have enough issues paying for their own apartment. How could I ask them to feed me when I don't even have a job?"

"He could stay with me," Quatre spoke up from the back of the room, "I'd have no issues paying his way."

"I don't think so, Winner." Une shook her head. "You're pushing it just paying for his schooling."

"I'll take care of him, Commander."

Duo turned around to stare in utter shock at Heero. "No, no, and ah, Hell no. I'm not going to live with Officer of Ice!"

Une tapped her chin. "You think you and Barton could handle it?"

"Yes ma'am. It would be beneficial to house him with his probation officer." Heero's tone was bland, but his eyes showed his amusement.

"Very well. Maxwell, you will be taken to your new home immediately following my meeting with Yuy. Understood?"

Duo growled out a, "Yes ma'am," before standing stiffly and scooting over to talk to Quatre.

Heero, on the other hand, followed Une to the[break room. "What's goin' on here, Commander? You caved in to my request very easily."

Une sighed and poured herself a coffee. "We received a message when we arrested the two youths that killed Maxwell's mother. They were obviously two youths from Solo's group, however," sip, "They had a note for you." She reached into her pocket and held it out to him after taking another sip of her coffee.

Heero's breath whooshed out of him and he felt dizzy. The paper simply read: _No one is safe in my Town, Heero Yuy._

"I assume you know what he means," Une said calmly.

"I do. I'm the only one without a personal tie to Dekim, but he's looking to change that." He looked up sharply, "Put me on opposite shifts with Trowa. That way at least one of us is home all the time."

Une raised an eyebrow, "What about Relena?"

"She and I are over with, but I don't doubt he'd try to kill her too. Can you make sure she stays safe? I know she won't like it, but she knew there were crackpots trying to come after me when we were dating. Not to mention she still gets that with Dorothy."

"I can do that, Heero. Now take that young man home. He needs a lot of rest after all of this."

"Yes ma'am."


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Fun times ahead! I think this was paced rather nicely, and poor Duo! Having your misconceptions shoved in your face is never fun or easy! I know I mentioned something about Duo and Heero getting along, but none of the others knew that and after having Heero deliver the news about his Mom, Duo is reverting back to his old self. It kinda sucks, but it makes for an interesting chapter this go around.**

**And I'd like to take this time to thank all of my reviewers again, anon and signed in. I love you people.

* * *

**

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

Duo kicked at the wall with his safety toed boots, "Come on, Quat, do I really have to go live with Yuy?"

"You heard what Une said," Quatre frowned, "though there really are other people you could have stayed with. Her reasons for rejecting mine were pretty weak. Trowa," he turned to the green-eyed man, "do you know anything about this? She agreed to Officer Yuy's request very fast."

Trowa's visible eye widened innocently, "Who, me?" he asked in a tone of voice that wasn't fooling anyone, least of all, Quatre.

"Trowa…"

"I can't say anything, Litt- uh, Quatre," he fixed his statement at the glare Quatre leveled at him; "Une said that Heero would tell us when he was ready. It's something very personal."

Quatre's eyes narrowed, and Duo grinned. _If anyone can pry information out of a person, it's Quat. If only I had a face like that._

"We'll talk about this later," Quatre promised.

Trowa winced.

"So, I'm gonna be living with you and the Ice Man, Trowa?" Duo shook his head, "how does a fun guy like you end up living with someone like him?"

"I swear to God, Maxwell, you shut your mouth or I'll be shutting it for you," Wufei ground out, looking like he was ready to chew nails and spit bullets.

"Do that in front of my lawyer," Duo said smugly, crossing his arms, "how much could I get for a case of Police Brutality, Quat?"

"Wufei," Trowa's quiet voice interrupted anything Quatre could say, "he doesn't know. He'll see, I promise. But you can't change someone's preconceptions so easily. You know that. How hard was it with you?"

Wufei nodded and leaned back against the wall, "Fine. But, Maxwell, you hurt him and there _will_ be a fight. Out of uniform. Out of sight, and I will destroy you."

"Fine by me, Wuffers. But it's not like you can hurt someone with a heart of stone," Duo huffed and crossed his arms.

"Even a rock can be eroded away, Duo. Don't you remember your Geology class?" Quatre spoke up, amused.

"What is this, Pick-on-Duo Day?"

"Say," Trowa grinned, "that's not a bad idea. Think if we submitted a petition we could get it turned into a state holiday?"

"If we got enough signatures." Wufei chuckled, "It shouldn't be _too_ hard."

"Fine, I see how it is." Duo sighed dramatically, then grinned and started singing, "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I guess I'll go eat woooorms…", and then was cut off by a hand over his mouth, "Mrrrmph?"

"You can't sing, Maxwell." Heero's amused voice came from behind him. "You're better off using your mouth for vital functions, like breathing and eating."

Duo rolled his eyes and pried Heero's hand off his mouth. "I'll keep that in mind, oh mighty Yuy," he sneered.

"Do that." Heero turned to Trowa, "We can't all fit in your pick-up. I'll take Duo in my car. Enjoy the ride with Quatre."

Trowa grinned, "Thanks, bro. Come on, Quatre, I owe you an explanation and a little bit of an apology. Oh and Wufei," Trowa paused, "you're welcome to come to dinner if you want. Cath is in town."

Wufei nodded and Quatre raised an eyebrow but followed Trowa out the door.

"Come on, Maxwell." Heero picked up his jacket, "we have a lot of stuff to do before dinner rolls around."

Duo sighed, rolled his eyes, and followed Heero out to his car.

* * *

Once Heero had gathered as much as Duo's stuff that could be salvaged; they piled back in the car and Heero turned the radio onto 92.9FM and turned it up a little, an odd expression on his face. Duo settled back in his seat as the mellow rock sounds of The Who drifted through the speakers.

_No one knows what it's like_

_To be the bad man_

_To be the sad man_

_Behind blue eyes…_

Heero's lips were moving to the music, and Duo watched him, fascinated.

_No one knows what it's like_

_To be hated_

_To be fated_

_To telling only lies_

_But my dreams_

_They aren't as empty_

_As my conscience seems to be…_

Duo's contemplation of the officer seated next to him revealed a seemingly softer side of the person Duo had been sure was _just_ a hard ass jerk.

_I have hours, only lonely_

_My love is vengeance_

_That's never free_

Heero's eyes had been soft Prussian up until this point, when he mouthed the word "Vengeance" they flashed cold, blue steel and his expression became resolved, determined, and frankly a little scary.

_No one knows what it's like_

_To feel these feelings_

_Like I do_

_And I blame you._

_No one bites back as hard_

_On their anger_

_None of my pain and woe_

_Can show through_

Duo watched a riot of emotions play over Heero's face and wondered if any of them were directed at him.

_But my dreams_

_They aren't as empty_

_As my conscience seems to be…_

_I have hours, only lonely_

_My love is vengeance_

_That's never free_

He idly wondered who that anger was directed at, that cold mask that snapped back into place at the thought of vengeance.

_When my fist clenches, crack it open_

_Before I use it and lose my cool_

_When I smile, tell me some bad news_

_Before I laugh and act like a fool_

_If I swallow anything evil_

_Put your finger down my throat_

_If I shiver, please give me a blanket_

_Keep me warm, let me wear your coat_

There! Duo knew those emotions. Pain, love, and hope all mingled themselves on Heero's face. He'd seen them before and he wondered who'd turned this man into an emotionally broken statue.

_No one knows what it's like_

_To be the bad man_

_To be the sad man_

_Behind blue eyes…_

As the last refrains of the song floated through the car, Duo awkwardly cleared his throat, "You got fantastic taste in music, Yuy. I never would have pegged you for a Who fan. You look more like a… heavy metal kinda guy."

"I'll listen to pretty much anything," Heero said softly, "as long as it sounds good, feels good, and most of all surprises people that think they know me." Duo caught the slight upturning to the corner of Heero's lips.

"You got me, Yuy." Duo grinned, and reclined in his seat. "Here I thought you were just an ass. Now you're just a funny ass."

"Ha. Ha." Heero laid the sarcasm on thick.

"So where do you and Tro' live?"

"Canton."

"You're the 'Heero' of Canton huh?" Duo grinned.

"Hn."

"Not a Firefly fan?"

"It was alright."

"Alright? Alright? Firefly has got to be the single most fantastic scifi show out there! And the movie was just as good!"

"If you start singing that song, I will shove you out the window."

"But I know the whole thing! _Jaynestown_ was my favorite episode."

"No, Maxwell. Start singing and I'll give you the address and you can _walk_ all the way to Canton."

"Ah. Well… um… we've got time to kill!" Duo cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Yuy, let's use this time to get to know each other, hrm? We have around a half hour drive, might as well, right?"

"If anything it'll keep me from killing you on the way," Heero deadpanned.

"Great! So, have you always lived up here?"

Heero shook his head. "My father moved to Charleston from Japan when I was still pretty young."

"Been here long enough to develop a twang though," Duo teased.

"You've got one too. So I take it that means you've been here a while?"

"Yeah, born and raised in metro Atlanta. Don't know who my parents are… were. Mom…" he choked but went on, "mom adopted me when I was ten. Before the Maxwell Orphanage fire."

"Hn," Duo could see that Heero had no idea what to say, "So what about _your_ taste in music?"

"I'll listen to anything." Duo shrugged, "Growing up around here you learn to appreciate all the finer points of music. I like everything from classical to heavy metal."

"Got any type in particular that's your favorite?"

Duo blushed, "Country music," he muttered while staring at his seat and wishing he could disappear.

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you don't grow up around here without _some_ appreciation of it. It covers a whole spectrum of styles."

"Awesome. Got a favorite artist?"

"Not particularly. There's not one single artist that I can say has the best music over all. It's best to go song by song."

"Got a favorite song then?"

A grin, "Ladies love Country Boys."

Duo laughed, "That was my favorite for a while, but lately I've been listening to 'If I die Young' a lot. It speaks to a guy who's been on the street for a while."

"I can see that. It's actually a pretty happy song. Most people don't even realize that."

"Exactly! All they hear is about this girl dying and never getting to have the experiences of life."

"So do you have a favorite artist?"

"You're gonna laugh at me."

"Try me."

"Taylor Swift."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She writes her songs about things that she _knows_. Things that have happened in her life, or things that could happen. She writes and sings about reality, so she's not only popular in the Country Music world; a lot of people enjoy her music."

"The fact that she's younger than we are and absolutely adorable doesn't have anything to do with it either?"

"You got me there, Yuy. I'm sure that contributes a lot to her fame. But that doesn't change that fact that she's good."

"True."

"So, does that mean you like her music?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. So… Why'd you become a cop?"

"I wanted to help people. And my father expected it. He was an MP before he retired from the service a few years ago."

"But you can help people in other ways. Like me, I'm gonna teach high schoolers chemistry and physics."

Heero snorted. "I remember my high school days. I refuse to go back there and relive that. Nothing screws up a person more."

"Well that's still no reason to put your life on the line every day."

"We put our lives on the line every hour of every day, Duo. All of us. Anyone with a pulse can have something bad happen to him from one instant to the next. Why shouldn't I put my life on the line? It isn't worth much for anything else."

Duo sat back, as if he'd been punched. This calm, confident guy was insecure? "You ever had a girlfriend, Yuy?"

"Just one. She and I didn't see eye to eye. We're still friends, but she didn't like the fact that I'd check out guys while we were out." Heero chuckled, "and now she's dating one of the women on the force. You saw Relena's girlfriend when you were brought in. The scary looking blonde with the funny eyebrows."

Duo, however, was still stuck on the first part of Heero's sentence when he caught the end of the other man's next one.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Have you had a boyfriend?"

"Once, in high school. Wait, how'd you know I was-?"

"Gay? Not that hard to figure out, Maxwell. All those trips to the Three Legged Cowboy were the biggest tip-off."

"Huh, who knew you were paying so close attention, Yuy."

"Call me Heero." He ignored the comment.

"I can do that as long as you call me Duo."

"Sure."

* * *

They pulled up in front of a small cottage style house in the outskirts of Canton, where Trowa's truck was already parked in the driveway. The house was brick with shuttered windows, a stone pathway and, Duo snickered, complete with a white picket fence. "Living the American Dream, Heero?"

"Huh?"

"A wife, a dog, a cat and two point five kids in a house with a little white picket fence. You're the poster child for suburban America without the wife… or the kids… do you have any pets? Though I suppose Trowa could be the little woman."

"Baka."

"What did you just call me?"

A smirk, "You'll figure it out eventually."

"Oh great."

"Don't worry about it," Heero grabbed up some of Duo's bags, "it's nothing too bad."

Duo stuck his tongue out at Heero and picked up the rest of his luggage. The two of them trooped into the house and hauled the bags upstairs. On his way to the stairs, Duo caught a glimpse of Trowa and Quatre snuggling on a couch to his left and from the right, tantalizing scents of rosemary and beef wafted from the kitchen. They turned left when they reached the top of the stairs. The area was open with the other half of the second story floor removed for a better view of the kitchen and living room.

Heero pointed to the room on the opposite side of the house, "That's my room. And this one is yours," He pushed open the heavy oak door.

Duo stepped inside and smiled. The walls were painted in a light brown with a scarlet baseboard, which complimented the golden yellow of the pinewood floor perfectly. Warm, chocolate brown curtains covered the two windows on the wall opposite him and the linens on the bed were a much deeper and richer scarlet than the baseboard. "It's beautiful," he said honestly. He set down his bags and flopped onto the bed. "This is divine. Really. Thank you so much, Heero."

"Hai, you're welcome. Dinner should be ready in an hour. You can do whatever you want until then." Heero bowed his head and ducked out of the room.

Duo grinned to himself and curled up into the fetal position on his bed. _A nap sounds like the perfect waste of time right now._

And he dreamed.

* * *

Wet.

That's the first sensation that assaulted Duo in his dream. Wet and _warm._ There was a mouth roaming over his chest, leaving trails of heat and saliva in its wake. He arched his back trying to force more contact with the greedy mouth roaming his chest. He heard a chuckle, a low, dark, and wicked sound that made even more heat pool in his groin. He wanted to see! Duo desperately wanted to see who it was roaming around his body.

When that mouth wrapped around his erection, he lost it. He forced his eyes open and stared into a pair of amused prussian blue eyes, framed by shaggy brown hair. His eyes widened in shock, before the owner of those wicked eyes gave another chuckle.

BANG BANG BANG!

Duo woke with a startled groan to Quatre's worried voice, "Duo? Answer me, Duo, are you alright? I'm coming in!" and he pushed the door open.

Duo panicked. He was lying flat on his back, erection straining his jeans as he looked wildly about before grabbing a pillow and pulling it over his lap. "Jeeze, Quat, don't you ever, you know, wait before barging into someone's room?"

Quatre's eyes traveled over Duo's flushed face and down to the pillow, where they lingered before he grinned. "I came to tell you that dinner will be ready soon. You've got a few more minutes though." He turned around to step out of the doorway and put his hand on the frame, "brown hair and blue eyes?" Duo could almost hear the blond man smirking.

"How did you-!"

"I didn't. Have fun, Duo," and he closed the door behind him.

Duo groaned and flopped back down on his bed. He gave his erection a disapproving look before he slithered out of his jeans and set his imagination back to work.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm. I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Bwahahaha. I had a lot of fun here too. I know things are going kinda slow after my big time leap, but I'm trying to take it a little bit at a time. The boys need some good, visible interaction and I'm trying to give them that "screen" time. I'm trying to give some more insight into their personalities. I really hope you guys don't mind .**

**I really hope ya'll are enjoying the story, I'm enjoying writing it. And please, leave me a review no matter what you think even if it's just to tell me I suck or I did a good job XD Analytical reviews are nice too ;)**

Oh, and I'm still working on Magic's Slave, for you guys who are still interested. It's not abandoned, just on hiatus. My muses have fled. (Look out for a new chapter soonish)

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeilan, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

Duo washed his hands under the cold stream issuing from the faucet and sighed. _Get your mind out of your crotch, Duo._ He told himself, _Heero doesn't like you all that much and there's no way he would ever do that for you. Just forget about it. Move on._

Easier said than done.

He wiped his hands on his jeans and then stuffed them in his pockets before slouching down the stairs looking for all the world like a surly teenage. He tried to not think about Heero, his mother, or Solo and everything that had happened to him, but instead tried to concentrate on the delicious smells of _food_ drifting up the stairs.

"Stop slouching." Trowa grinned up at him from the bottom of the stairs, "come here and talk to me for a minute." The green-eyed officer met him halfway up the stairs, "It's about Heero."

"Alright," Duo said warily, hedging back like an animal about to bolt, "what's going on here?"

"First there's something you need to know about Heero. He doesn't take to people easily. He's Japanese, and you know how they are when it comes to showing affections. He doesn't even hug his own father."

"I don't see what this has to do with me."

"Shut up and listen for a minute. The point is that he may seem harsh, overbearing, or even cold, but he isn't. You need to give him a chance. He'll surprise you, Duo."

Duo smirked. "I know," and then he breezed past Trowa and made a left into the kitchen. "Q-ball! Who's the lovely lady?" There was a curvy brunette standing next to Quatre at the stove and Duo just had to wolf-whistle when she turned around, "My name's Duo. Duo Maxwell at your service. You must be Catherine."

She laughed at him. Not giggled, not chuckled, but full out laughed at him. He was a little miffed. "You're the one my brother said is driving Heero up the walls. It's nice to finally meet you!"

He pouted. "If they told you all about me, that means the infamous Maxwell charm won't work on you, right?"

She laughed again. "Yup!"

"Maxwell, stop irritating Miss Bloom."

"Of course, Wuffers," he said without turning around, "I'll leave 'Miss Bloom' alone the moment she asks me to stop bugging her."

"Maxwell…" Wufei moved into his line of sight.

"Oh, Wufei, don't be a stick in the mud." Cathy grinned at him and Duo choked back a snort when the Chinese man blushed.

"Alright, but the first moment he makes you upset, you tell me, okay?"

"Wufei, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"I… alright. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Relax." She dimpled at him and Duo watched the Chinese man's face turn bright red again.

Quatre turned around with an irritated sigh. "If we're all done playing, children… Dinner is ready and will be burnt if you don't hurry up and get seated."

"Yes, Mother Quat," Duo chuckled and then jumped out of the way of the heavy wooden spoon Quatre brandished in his direction.

Duo seated himself opposite Trowa as Wufei and Cathy took the ends. This left him seated right next to Heero and he was doing his best to ignore his libido. _My mother just died. Shut up, erection._ And that killed it. Unfortunately he also felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and did his best to try and ignore that as well. He managed to smile as Quatre set a plate in front of him covered in green beans, roast beef, and mashed potatoes. The aromas of garlic, rosemary, and basil drifted up at him and his mouth watered. When he noticed Quatre sit down and start eating, he spoke up. "Hey wait a second Quat." He looked a little embarrassed, "I dunno about the rest of you, but would anyone mind if I said grace? It's the little things, you know?"

"You don't have to explain," Heero gave him a reassuring nod, "go ahead."

Trowa raised a questioning eyebrow at Heero, but Heero shook his head and mouthed, "later."

Duo bowed his head and took a deep breath, struggling to find the words to say. Things had gone so wrong lately; it was hard to be thankful for anything he had right now. "Father, the last few months have been tough, and I haven't exactly been the best person. But thank you for the opportunity that you've given me today. Thank you for the good food, and the good friends to share it with. You saw what was needed in my life and you gave it to me, though in the most unexpected way. Without the hardships in my life, I wouldn't have met the five wonderful people seated around this table. Please let this delicious dinner help to nourish our bodies so that we may serve you, in all your forms and goodness. In your name I pray, Amen."

"That was lovely, Duo." Catherine gave him a smile.

He smiled, "It was tough. It's hard to remember that life is still good, despite all the bad points in it. I need to remind myself every day that things are good and staying that way, and I'm not at rock bottom anymore."

"That's the spirit! Now stop looking so gloomy and eat the food." She waggled a hand at him and then promptly went after her plate.

The only noise in the kitchen following Cathy's statement was the gentle clink of cutlery on ceramic and the occasional thud of a glass being set back onto the table. The roast beef practically melted in Duo's mouth and his eyes were almost constantly rolled upwards, showcasing the physical ecstasy his body went through every time he took a bite. "Cathy," he said while taking a break, "how did you manage to cook this with Quat? He manages to burn water when he ties to cook."

Quatre huffed. "I do _not_ burn water!"

"Yeah, Quat. You do."

"And just how would _you_ know?"

"Well," Cathy interrupted, "I just didn't let him near anything I was cooking until I was done and it was time to add extra spices."

The whole table chuckled at that; even Quat did, though he'd gone red as a tomato. Duo could see the struggle on his face as the blond fought to regain composure and ask, "So, Duo, do you like the room they set aside for you?"

"It's gorgeous!" Duo sighed dreamily. "I've never had a bed that comfortable! It's one of those memory foam ones, isn't it?" There was a bit of awkward silence and Duo's enthusiasm dried up. "It's not, is it? It's just a regular mattress."

"Duo, I-"

"No!" Duo shook his head vigorously, "please don't feel sorry for me, or pity me, or say anything about my life. What's past is past and it doesn't matter anymore, right?"

One by one, the heads around the table all nodded, but Duo could see the promise in Heero's eyes that they would be talking after dinner, and he started fiddling with his braid under the table. After another awkward silence he spoke up again, "So, Wuffers. How did you meet these guys?"

"What?" Duo almost smiled as he watched Wufei tear his gaze away from Cathy.

"How did you meet these guys?" He pointed to Heero and Trowa.

"Academy training together."

"So you guys all went to school together?"

Heero nodded, "One of the best academies is in this area."

"Really?" Duo was surprised, "I've lived here my whole life, and I never knew that. Always got the bad side of cops in the area anyway. But you guys are alright. Keep feeding me like this and I'll sing praises from the rooftops."

"Behaving is good enough for us, Maxwell."

"Come on, Fei! You sure you don't want me singing about you guys in the middle of the night?"

"Very sure. I don't need to arrest you for breaking noise ordinances do I?"

"Ah, no."

"Didn't think so."

"What about in the middle of the day?"

"Maxwell…"

"With a busking pass!"

"Maxwell!"

"As long as you have music to go with it," Trowa grinned.

"I can do that! Trumpet player, remember?"

Silence reigned again as the table's occupants went back to their food, but Duo kept his eyes up, and on his new… friends. Quatre and Trowa were both eating but their eyes kept flickering up to each other, and their shoulders almost touched as they leaned into each other. He glanced to his left and grinned into his plate; Wufei's eyes never left Cathy and he could tell she _knew_ by the small smile on her face. Heero seemed… agitated. His fingers drummed the table and he couldn't stop looking at his watch. "Got a date, Yuy?"

"What?"

"You keep looking at your watch."

"No, no date. It's just Tuesday night."

"And what's so special about eight pm on Tuesday nights?"

To his surprise Heero's face flamed and the man muttered, "T.V. show."

"But what- oh man. Oh_ man,_" Duo started laughing, "'Glee?' _Seriously?_ Mr. Tough police guy Heero watches 'Glee?'"

"Oh that's not all," Trowa chimed in, "he's a musical junkie too."

Heero threw the green-eyed man a death glare, "I told you I like things that surprise people, Duo."

"That ya did, Heero! Well, I've never seen a musical, unless Disney movies count." Duo stared at his empty plate, before he sat back and patted his belly with a sigh. He blinked when he noticed Heero was staring at him in surprise, "what?"

"You've never seen a musical?"

"Oh, Lord. Not this again," Wufei muttered and stood from the table, collecting Cathy's plate on his way to the sink.

"I just said that, Heero." Duo raised an eyebrow as the man's dumbfounded expression.

"Come with me," Heero stood from the table and grabbed Duo's arm, dragging the braided man into the hall, up the stairs, and taking a left at the top. "We are going to educate you," Heero muttered, "sit here. I can't believe you're in the band, play the trumpet well, and you've never seen a musical. Don't they make you watch these things in band class in high school? They always made us watch them in chorus." The prussian-eyed man kept muttering as he fiddled with the TiVo, the TV and the cable box.

Duo's quick look around the room noted the paint scheme was the opposite of his own before Heero sat next to him on the small love seat and turned on the small LCD TV. Duo groaned when the first thing he heard was, "So here's what you missed on 'Glee!'"

* * *

If you guys haven't seen Glee, I suggest you do so. It's wonderful xD And I really hope no one minds that I've made Heero a Music Junkie. It's something I always pictured him being into, especially since he was always told to act on his emotions and musicals are all about acting on one's emotions. –shrug-


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Holy crap! What's that! -points and runs- SO. MUCH. DIALOGUE. I had so much fun! I love playing around with Trowa and Heero! Not to mention it provides more insight into their characters. Sorry if it seems like I'm just yanking you guys around. I **_**really**_** want you to know them, and for them to know each other (mostly) before the hot stuff rolls around.**

**And whoohoo! More backstory! Can you tell I like using flashback instead of having characters explain? I thought I noticed you noticing, and if you caught the Princess Bride reference, you get internet cookies x3 Oh, and ignore the ominous black cloud of foreshadowing. I promise it's only a model.**

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeiran, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it... (Also I have been informed it's Meiran not Meilan. Thanks Shenlong!)

* * *

Quatre stared quizzically for a moment at the place where Heero and Duo had been sitting before he turned his gaze on Wufei. "What did you mean by that?"

"His old girlfriend, Relena, played flute in high school and she'd never seen a musical either. Heero took it as a great injustice, much like tonight, and she didn't appreciate his obsession at all. I only hope Maxwell has more sense than that tart." Wufei leaned against the sink and rested his elbows on the counter.

"I'm sure that whatever his opinion, Duo will be honest," Quatre replied.

"Heero _does_ appreciate honesty… just not in the form of insults, Quatre," Trowa commented dryly.

"Oh." Quatre's face grew troubled, "oh, dear."

"Should we keep an ear out for sounds of Heero storing little pieces of Duo in the walls?" Cathy grinned.

"Nah," Trowa waved a hand, "he'd have to come down here for a knife first."

"I think the question then becomes, should we stop Heero from returning upstairs with a meat cleaver?" Wufei chuckled.

Quatre waved his hands in front of his face. "I'm not about to get between an angry officer with a knife and his destination."

A chorus of "Me either" echoed around the kitchen.

"So it's decided? If Heero tries to kill Duo we stay as far away as physically possible?" Wufei pushed himself off the counter.

"Yeah. I can go with that," Cathy laughed.

"Though, honestly, I don't think any of us is giving Maxwell enough credit," Wufei smirked, and in the startled pause that followed his statement, "Catherine, if you would do me the honor," his face turned crimson, "I'm going to the movies tomorrow night," at her nod he relaxed and continued, "seven PM then? At the usual place? Good," he nodded to the other men in turn and dashed out of the house.

Trowa blinked. "Did Wufei just ask my little sister on a date?"

Quatre chuckled. "I think he did."

"Oh, he did," Cathy sighed, "Well, I'm going to go and uhm… read this new book I bought today. In my room. Yes." And she fled the kitchen.

"Wufei just asked my sister on a date. Chang. Wufei. _Wufei_. I thought… Meiran?" Trowa's jaw hung slack and he stared at a spot on the kitchen island.

"Yes Trowa."

"But… my _little_ sister!"

"I know, Trowa."

"But, Meiran!"

"Trowa, she's been dead for years. Wufei has grieved. He's moved on."

"But it's _Cathy_."

"Trowa, I want you to listen to me." Quatre took his lover's face in his hands, "I know that you watched her grow up, and I know it's difficult to reconcile the woman in the guest room with the half sister you watched being born, but she's an adult and she can make her own decisions. You know Wufei would never do anything to hurt her."

"I… yes. Yes. I know that," Trowa shook his head, "I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to…" he trailed off.

"I know, sweetheart." Quatre pressed their foreheads together. "Come on, I think I want to go cuddle for a little bit."

"Dinner won't put itself away you know."

"I know. But it can wait a little bit, right?"

"Sure."

Quatre beamed and grabbed the green-eyed man's arm and tugged him through the house until they reached the brown-haired man's room. The blond shed his clothes quickly and climbed under the warm downy covers. When he noticed Trowa still standing in the doorway with a bemused expression he said, "What are you waiting for, a special invitation? Get naked and come cuddle me."

Trowa smiled and nodded before he too stripped and slid under the covers. Quatre immediately latched onto him and nuzzled his shoulder. The blond was laying on his side and had one leg and one arm flung over the other man while his other arm lay squished awkwardly in between them and he sighed contentedly.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind lately, Trowa."

"I know. My uncle is making bigger and bigger connections lately. He used to be just a big fish in a small pond, but he's getting help from other parts of the country now. We need to take him down."

Quatre made a sympathetic noise and placed a few kisses on Trowa's shoulder.

"Add to that, the fact that we now have a target living under our roof and I feel like things are about to fall apart." He turned his head to the side to look straight into Quatre's eyes, "And there's something you're not telling me. About Duo."

Quatre winced and rolled onto his back. "It's very complicated and I'm worried about explaining everything."

"What are you worried about?"

"That I'll lose you."

"Quatre…"

"It's not silly. We've just gotten to this point in our relationship where we can be comfortable together like this, and not even sexually. I don't want to lose you Trowa because of some sleazy things I've done in my past."

"You're a lawyer. How can you get sleazier than that?"

"Oh hush."

"Just tell me, Quatre. We need to be honest with each other, and I swear I'll listen with an open heart and an open mind. Just please let me in."

"You don't know what you're asking from me, Trowa."

"I think I do, Quatre. There's something there, and I want to know what it is. I can't live with this feeling that I'm going to lose you to him."

Quatre rubbed up and down his arms nervously. "It was quiet night in spring, almost two and a half years ago now…"

* * *

The streets of downtown Atlanta were strangely still for a Friday night and Quatre awkwardly fanned himself with the manila file folder he was bringing home from a late case when a huddled and miserable figure caught his eye. Seeing the long, chestnut braid and thinking some girl may have gotten lost, he hurried over to where the figure was kneeling at a street corner. "Hello," he said softly, "are you alright? Did you get lost?" The indigo eyes that stared up at him and the masculine voice that issued from the figure took him aback; this was _not_ what he had expected.

"Unless you've got money, I don't need your help."

"I've got money," Quatre replied cautiously, "did you get mugged?"

The other man laughed harshly. "Nah. Ain't you ever seen a street whore before, fancy pants?"

Quatre stammered something. In all his years of living in Atlanta, he'd never run across anything like this.

A snort. "Thought not."

"Listen," Quatre said, mind racing with a plan (one he wasn't sure was entirely very smart), "why don't you come home with me. I'll feed you, pay you, and even let you sleep in my home."

The man looked up at him and sneered, "No way, moneybags. Shit like that doesn't come for free and I'll be damned if I let you do anything more than fuck me and pay me and send me on my way."

Quatre stamped his foot; this ruffian was starting to irritate him. "You'll come with me, or I'll call the cops. How's that for a fair deal?"

Those indigo eyes burned as the man stood. "Fine. You got yourself a deal. Now why don't we get back to your place so we can get this over with?"

* * *

"That was the first place you met Duo?"

"Yeah."

"Did you…?"

"Not at first."

* * *

Quatre opened the door and sank into the blissful cool of his own home, while the man, Duo, looked around with a grin.

"Say, you some kinda hot shot or something?"

"I'm a lawyer. I've never lost a case either," Quatre yawned and flopped the folder onto his coffee table before pointing at various places around the house, "Kitchen is through there, bathroom is over on that side, this is my room, and upstairs is the guest room. Make yourself at home; I'm going to go pass out now."

"Wait a minute. You're not gonna…?"

"Duo. I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow."

It was the same thing for a month after that. "Too tired, sleep well, it'll most likely be tomorrow." Quatre found that he was actually fond of Duo, and the two became rather close friends and Quatre had gotten used to having the other man around when he came home from work. It was positively _domestic_ and it made him happy knowing that he could make Duo's life a little better this way.

When he came home from work one evening, Duo wasn't in his usual place. Feeling the edges of panic creep at his mind, he searched the house. When he heard moans coming from his bedroom, caution flew out the window and he rushed in to find Duo… stark naked on his bed. The braided man's fingers were busy sliding in and out while the other hand stroked his erection lazily. Quatre blushed crimson at the look of ecstasy on Duo's face and at the small, carelessly discarded bottle of lube on the floor.

"Are you… too… tired now… Quatre?"

And that was it. He lost it.

* * *

"Our relationship continued on for a year after that," Quatre said quietly, "And then one day he just disappeared. He left, and I thought he'd been killed by Solo until Heero called me in to take his case."

Trowa sat silent for a minute. "You loved him, didn't you?" the tone was soft and non-accusatory.

"I did."

"Do you still?"

"As a friend, yes. Brother, definitely. Lover? No, Trowa."

"So, you have room to love another."

"Of course. There's always room to love others."

Trowa went silent again.

"I know what you're asking, Trowa. And the answer is that I don't know yet. I care very deeply for you, but is it love? I can't answer that right now. All I know is that this, what we have, is comfortable and I don't want to lose it."

Trowa's arms tightened on his blond "You won't."

"Promise?"

"Of course. I promise. I'll admit I'm a little jealous of Duo, but it's nothing I won't get over. Besides, _I_ have you now."

A muffled yell floated through the ceiling and Quatre chuckled. "I do hope that wasn't the sound of Heero murdering Duo."

* * *

"That's it!" Duo stared at the TV screen as if trying to make the show magically reappear. "Come on! That's no way to leave this. I want to know what's gonna happen next!" He growled and shook the remote.

Heero carefully plucked the remote from Duo's hands and said, "If you want more, I have more episodes recorded. Or, we could sit down and watch a few of my favorite musicals instead." Then he smirked, "or you could simply continue to yell at the TV."

Duo sat back in the cushions of the loveseat and scowled. "Alright. Fine. What else do you have for us to watch?"

Heero looked down at his wristwatch. "We have time for one movie, and then I need to get some sleep. I haven't been getting much lately."

"Ah. So what movie?"

"I thought we could watch something lighthearted. For the most part."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, a truly tragic movie starts out on a depressing note and is mostly filled with fun until the tragic ending."

"Oh. Well what movie is it?"

"Moulin Rouge."

"Oh come _on_, Heero. That movie is for chicks!"

"It is _not_. Just sit and watch it."

Duo folded his arms as Heero popped the DVD in the player. "Fine. I can tell you now I'll hate it, though."

"You said that about 'Glee.' Just relax, Duo. Enjoy the movie for what it is."

Duo sniffled. _I am not going to cry in front of Heero. I'm not a chick. I don't cry during sad movies,_ but he sniffled again.

"Oh, come on, Duo. They told you at the beginning what was going to happen to her."

"But they were so happy together. Why did everything have to be snatched away from them?"

"Because that's the real world a lot of the time, Duo. Life isn't sunshine and roses all the time, you know that. Tragedy happens, but even their brief time together was better than never at all, right?" Heero tried to explain.

"Not really," Duo muttered, "whoever coined that awful phrase about losing love had obviously never been in love."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that losing love is so much harder. If you've never known it, you can't be miserable. Ignorance is bliss."

"If you say so. If ignorance is bliss, I'd rather be miserable."

"No, really. What's the point of falling in love if you're not going to be able to keep the person you're in love with? Why bother getting filled up with all those emotions if fate is just going to yank them away?"

"Because without emotions, Duo, we aren't human. We aren't alive. You have to be able to feel things to be alive."

"If you say so."

"I do. Now, about earlier, Duo…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure? I'm not going to belittle you for where you've lived, Duo. I'm not that kind of person."

"Coulda fooled me. You did plenty of belittling when you were first assigned as my probation officer. Why has that changed all of a sudden? Is pity now in fashion?" Duo asked acidly.

"That's not it and you know it." Heero was furious, beyond angry that even after their discussions today Duo still couldn't see that Heero was trying to reach out to him.

"Then tell me what it is, Heero. I get that Cathy feels sorry for my past, but you already knew I didn't have the most privileged of lives. Why now?"

"I'm trying to make amends for my behavior towards you. I acted like a dick, and I'm tired of arguing."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't want to keep hearing me whine."

Heero resisted the urge to reach out and strangle Duo. "Again, not it." He yawned and changed the subject, "Now I'm exhausted and I still need to go talk with Trowa. Duo, could you put dinner away please? I have a feeling those two forgot all about it."

Duo nodded and hurried from the room. Heero's departure was a little slower, and he took a right when he reached the bottom of the stairs, knocking quietly on Trowa's door. "Trowa? Come out to the laundry room, I need to talk to you for a moment."

A muffled, "Sure," floated through the door and Heero walked past the guest room and out into the covered patio that served as a laundry room. He only had to wait a few minutes before Trowa, bare-chested, stepped outside.

"You wanted to talk to me tonight?" Heero asked.

Trowa nodded. "Ah, right. How did the education go?"

"I surprised him."

"A worthy goal, I'm sure."

"He liked them. He even argued with me about Moulin Rouge."

"Really?"

A nod.

"Well, I'll be… Congrats."

"What's that for?"

"Well, you found someone who has a love for musicals and doesn't hesitate to let you know his opinions. And loudly."

"But he doesn't want to love."

"What makes you think that?"

"He told me so. He said that it isn't fair to love someone, only to lose them later. He'd rather not love at all."

"Oh, dear."

"Mhmm."

"Oh, I remember what I wanted to ask about earlier. What was that at dinner all about? I know you're atheist, Heero."

"His spirituality is important to him. If he wants to believe, then I'm not going to stop him from praying at dinner." He quirked a grin. "I'm going to draw the line though, if he wants me to go to Mass with him."

Trowa nodded. "That's gracious of you. Here's hoping he won't turn out to be one of those crazies with his religion."

"Yeah." Heero sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Trowa, what should I do?"

"About your feelings for Duo?"

"Obviously."

"Tell him the truth."

"I can't do that. He's enough of a target as is."

"Would you deny yourself a chance to be happy?"

"If it would keep him safe, yes."

"Heero, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You deserve something more."

"I'll let him come to me. If he wants me, that is."

"How do you know he doesn't?"

"Because he would have said something by now, right?"

Trowa shook his head. "Not necessarily. You've been his probation officer. See if he opens up by trying to be his friend."

"I thought that's what tonight was supposed to be all about?"

"Then keep doing it. I _know_ he's attracted to you."

Heero was skeptical. "How do you figure?"

"He watches your ass any time you go somewhere."

Heero actually blushed. "You're joking."

"No joke. He'll watch you, and then tear his eyes away with this bitter and self-mocking look. You really should talk to him."

The wind howled around the small building as Heero contemplated. "I'll think about it. I don't want to push him into anything."

"Good."

"Though, I really shouldn't say anything. If we… start dating, it will get back to Dekim and he'll do his best to make sure I have a personal reason to see him go down. I don't want something to happen to Duo."

"So you'd rather wait until Dekim goes after him to tell him something? That logic's a bit twisted."

Heero shook his head. "If we stay apart outside of the house and maintain a professional relationship-"

"Duo will get confused."

"Dammit, Trowa."

"Think on it. Sleep on it. Write it all down. Maybe the answers will look a little clearer in the morning."

Heero nodded. "I can do that. I don't have to make a decision right away. I can take my time. Think this through logically."

"No, Heero. Remember what you told me."

"I've told you a lot of things."

"Act on your emotions Heero. Think about this, but don't take too long. Act on your emotions and see where they lead you."

"I… I'll try, Trowa."

"Good," Trowa nodded, seemingly satisfied and then his face bloomed into a wicked smirk, "Quatre told me something earlier."

"What's that?"

"He dreamt about you today."

"Quatre?"

"Duo."

"Oh."

"Mhmm. Seems he was having a rather pleasant dream when Quatre went upstairs to wake him up for dinner."

"What?"

"I'm guessing that's what took him so long to come down."

"Oh. _Oh._"

"If that's not a good indication that he's attracted to you, I don't know what is."

Heero was at a loss for words and he gaped at Trowa like a fish. His mind was a whirl with this new information and he was barely processing any of it. The idea of Duo being attracted to him kicked his brain into overdrive. He needed a plan, and fast.

"Alright, I'm done. You can flee in terror if you want."

Heero nodded dumbly and literally fled up the stairs and into his room. He flopped face first onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. _Duo dreamt about me._ He ignored the type of dream for now, _He actually dreamt about me._ A laugh threatened to bubble up inside him but he sighed instead and rolled over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. _This changes everything. How could it not? He's attracted to me. Maybe he could care for me. Maybe I could finally have a normal relationship._ He snorted and rolled back over. _Normal. Right. As if anything that involves Duo would ever turn out to be normal._ It was going to be hard maintaining his emotionless façade now. _There's no way I'll be able to look him in the eyes without turning red. And I can't avoid him. Not if I want this to work._ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I have to make him think it's all his idea. Subtle hints are good. But I need to encourage him in a way that will make him come to me, instead of scaring him off by trying to pursue him._ With a slightly maniacal grin, Heero began to plan.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Mmm. Arguments. A series of them actually. Here, have a pointless chapter with some introduction into the daily life of Heero and Duo. I think I had too much fun with this chapter. Seriously.**

**As always, please please review. I really want to see what people are thinking! **

**So sorry for taking three weeks this time. It **_**was**_** the Christmas and New Years weeks after all, and I was really busy with family, and hope you guys were too. Enjoy your first new chapter of the New year!**

**Oh, and I'm going to start posting a chapter every other week. I'm starting classes again on Monday and I need to study hard.**

Letsee here, pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeiran, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

"Duo, I told you when we laid the ground rules for the house that there was to be none of this-"

"And I told you, you could go stuff it!"

"Duo, I'm not going to tell you again…"

"Of course you are! You're going to tell me until I give it up!"

"When smoke is leaking from under your door, I think I have a right to say something."

"I'll put a towel down and open a window next time."

"Duo, hand it over. Right now. I don't want this crap in my house."

"Not just your house! What does Trowa have to say about it?"

Heero ground his teeth together. "Trowa agrees with me."

"How do I know that?"

"Because we talked about this the day after we moved you in. The three of us!"

"Oh hah! So you _say_!"

"Christ, Duo, you were _there_! Now give it to me and stop acting like this."

Duo stuck his tongue out. "Not gonna!"

"Stop acting like a child and let go of those damned incense sticks!"

"Never! They're mine and you can't take them!"

"Duo…" Heero growled.

"I'm going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause!"

"Goddammit!"

"You'll take my incense when you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers!" Duo slipped past Heero in the doorway and leapt down the stairs, taking them three at a time. "You'll never catch me like that, Heero!"

"Maxwell!" Heero roared, "If you don't stop acting like a child this instant-"

"I'll stop when you stop acting like an over protective parent, Yuy!" Duo hollered up the stairs, before letting out an eep at the look on Heero's face and bounding for the kitchen, giggling like a madman.

Heero growled and stalked down the stairs, making a beeline for the kitchen, completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Duo was standing on the kitchen island with a saucepan for a helmet, and brandishing a spatula at him. There! Tucked into his shirt pocket was the incense.

"You'll never take me alive!"

"Duo!"

"Lay on, Macduff!" Duo swept the spatula in an arc.

"Duo, will you be serious for just one second!"

Duo laughed. "No man born of woman can slay me!"

"Duo!" _I will not laugh, I will not laugh_ "Get down from there! Do you have any idea what people use incense for?"

"Duh, to make rooms smell nice."

A vein throbbed in Heero's temple. "No, Duo. They use it to cover up the smell of illegal drugs. Especially the ones that smell like opium. Now, hand those over and you can get something else and as long as you don't light them, you can keep them."

"You're joking. No one is stupid enough to use opium incense to drown out the smell of pot. It's lunacy." He lowered his spatula a fraction of an inch.

"You would think so. But people usually explain away the scent of marijuana with the excuse that they were just burning incense and then showing us the sticks when we get complaints from their neighbors."

"But you _know_ I'm clean!"

"I hate the smell."

"Then don't come in my room!"

Heero just stared at him, hand out, palm upwards.

"Alright, fine. Jesus Christ, a man can't get a break around here."

"You _could_ keep them," Heero said thoughtfully, "as long as you agree to random piss tests and room searches."

"Hell no. I'd rather my room smell like ass than have to put up with _that_ bullshit." Duo quickly handed the incense sticks over with a mournful expression and hopped down off the kitchen island. "Alas ends the Tragedy of Duo Macbeth!"

* * *

"Heero, why do I have to go shopping with you?"

"Because I want your input on the food I buy. I've seen you making faces at my eggplant casserole, so I need you to tell me what you'd like to eat."

"As long as it's fried, I don't care."

Heero shuddered. "No. Just… no."

"Why not?"

"I don't know what you were eating before this, but you're going to eat more vegetables now that you're living with me."

"What about those?"

"Duo, those are mutant tomatoes. Put them back."

"Nah, man. They look delicious, and they're huge! It's life Jim, but not as we know it!"

"Those have probably been treated with all kinds of hormones. Put them back. And stop quoting things at me."

"But I want them!"

Oh God. Not that whine. "They're genetically modified. I don't want them; I'm not going to pay for them."

"Well it's a good thing Quat gave me some stuff to spend then, isn't it."

"He did what?"

"He gave me some spending money. For my junk food."

Heero stared at him, horrified. "Oh, God. Please don't buy those freaky tomatoes."

"Why not? You only said you weren't spending your money on them. Since it's not your money…"

"Duo, please. You're going to get some horrifying mutation if you eat those."

"No I won't. Seriously, what's wrong with mutant fruit?"

"Vegetable. And if you grow a third eye, I'm kicking you out."

"Oh, lies," Duo scoffed.

"Truth." Heero steered them away from the tomatoes and stared at a bag of giant red grapes. "Good God. Mutant fruit is everywhere. Where are the normal sized grapes at around here?"

"Ah, those are actually the natural kind."

"What?"

"Yeah. Those big ones have seeds. They're natural. The small seedless ones are genetically modified."

Heero stared at him again, then at the giant grapes, and finally at the smaller seedless grapes. "You're kidding me."

"Nope. You didn't know that?"

"Obviously not."

"Hey, Heero."

"Hm?"

"If you grow a third eye from those seedless grapes, I'm going to get Trowa to kick you out," Duo grinned.

"Hn."

* * *

"Duo!"

"Hm?"

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to cool off."

"You are _naked_ on my _couch_."

"With a glass of ice cubes."

"_That's_ why my couch is wet?"

"Mhmm," Duo turned away and grabbed an ice cube and drew slowly it over the skin of his neck.

Heero made a strangled noise.

"Whuzzat, Heero?"

"Get your clothes on, and get off of my couch!"

"I don't think so. It's hot as hell and I ain't gonna take it anymore."

"Duo! This is something that normal people do _not_ do! Get the hell off of my couch and get your goddamn clothes on!"

A chuckle. "Make me."

Heero made another strangled noise and fled from the room, vowing to wear warm clothes (a sweater even!) and turn the air conditioner on, if just to keep Duo from roaming the house naked again and testing his self-control.

Duo chuckled again. "Two for me, one for Heero."

* * *

"Duo, what are you doing?"

Duo froze. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you still have your shoes on?"

"Um…because… I'm going up to my room?"

"That's why you have a pair of slippers by the door."

"But my feet stink."

"Then take your shoes off outside."

"Why can't I keep them on in the house?"

"Because I don't want outside dirt on my inside space."

"That's what vacuum cleaners are for, Heero."

"It's not polite to wear shoes in the house. Be glad I haven't provided bathroom slippers for you as well."

"Bathroom slippers?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

Heero ground his teeth together. "It's polite. I'm not as much of a traditionalist as my father, but as long as you're living in my house the least you could do is respect my heritage and the rules I have in place."

"Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten you're Japanese. So it's a Japanese thing to take the shoes off, not just a Heero thing?"

"Hai. It separates the spaces. Keeps the outside outside, and makes sure you leave your worries outside… along with the dirt."

"Oh. M'sorry. I'll make sure to do that. Here, lemme go take them off right now." Duo shuffled towards the door.

Heero stared at him. "Are you alright? You're a bit more…"

"Compliant? Yeah."

"So, are you feeling alright?"

"Not particularly."

"Care to talk about it?"

"Not right now."

* * *

A week and a half after Duo moved in, things returned to relative peace for Heero and Trowa. There was the added element of a man who could never seem to sit still and always insisted on throwing out wild quotes at random times, but things seemed like they were settling into a nice household rut.

Heero was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the living room (wearing a sweater and sweatpants) concentrating intently on the Discovery Channel program. It was a rerun of the television show _Doing Da Vinci_ and they were putting together the inventor's circular armored tank. He rolled his eyes at yet another instance of drama that took away from the actual science of the show when he heard the soft coughing of someone clearing their throat.

"Heero?" Duo stood at the arm of the couch twisting the bottom hem of his t-shirt nervously.

Heero pulled his gaze away from the TV and cocked his head to the side. "You ready to sit down and talk to me?"

"I don't think I'm ready to talk to… anyone here," He waved a hand around and perched himself on the arm of the couch. "Besides, you're still my probation officer. I don't want to talk to you about this stuff."

"Then who would you like to talk to?" Heero was genuinely curious. _I want to know whom he can trust, if not the people he lives with._

"I dunno." Duo stared miserably at the floor.

"Why don't you go see a psychiatrist?"

"A who?"

"A psychiatrist. A shrink, if you prefer to call them that."

Duo frowned and looked thoughtful. "I could do that. But I don't have any insurance, and no way to pay."

"You could see the psychiatrist for the Force." Heero offered, hoping the braided man would take his offer and not reject anything to do with the police.

"I… man or woman?"

"Lucrezia Noin. She's amazing, Duo. She even managed to help Wufei through his grief after his wife got- after Meiran died," Heero amended his statement hastily. He really didn't need Wufei on his case for telling Duo about Meiran's murder.

"Wuffers was married? And he showed an emotion other than anger? I'm shocked," Duo grinned, but the smile didn't reach his uncomfortably blank eyes. Eyes that reminded Heero of the day they had met when blood had covered the other man's clothes.

"Not exactly. Wufei considers anger and grief as two sides of the same coin and he reacts as he sees fit. It didn't help that Meiran was taken from us far too early," A bit of sadness crept into Heero's voice. Meiran had helped temper Wufei's frustrations and had brought them all together as even closer friends. All of the members of the Force sorely missed her, but Heero had had to deal with Wufei's rage against Barton first hand and that was _not_ an experience he was ready to repeat.

"Care to talk about what happened?"

Heero could see some light come back into Duo's eyes at the question but he shook his head. "Wufei would kick my ass from here to kingdom come in our next sparring match if I talked about his past without his permission."

"Oh. Well… I think I'd like to go see this Lucrezia. I won't have to pay will I?" Duo looked genuinely troubled at the idea.

"You won't have to pay. Hopefully she'll consider it as a favor to me," he moved toward the landline phone, "I'll probably have to ask Une too, but she owes me."

"Owes you? The scary lady owes you?" Duo scooted a little closer on the couch.

"Yeah. I did her a giant favor a little while ago, and now I think it's time to cash in on that," Heero grinned.

"You'd do that for me?" Duo looked genuinely confused.

Heero weighed that question carefully. Duo seemed to be healing well, but he didn't want to take the chance of scaring the other man away, so he said, "You're in my care, Duo. It's not just a responsibility, but I _do_ want to see you feeling better… as a friend," he swallowed hard and his heart thumped faster, "I _am_ your friend, right?"

The smile that lit up Duo's face was the most welcome sight he'd seen in days and his pulse skipped a beat before he smiled back and the indigo-eyed man said, "Yeah. Friends. I guess we are, Heero."


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story. Not to mention that there are some completely made up facts in this chapter. COMPLETELY. MADE. UP.

**This is an interesting chapter; Duo's a lot more screwed up than anyone really thought, and I suppose it makes sense. But good grief, the poor boy. We're starting to get a little bit more into stuff plot wise (And past wise! I like recounting people's pasts), so bear with me and I may actually be able to **_**keep**_** one of my curveballs held in reserve. Mwahahaha. And if this chapter seems a little off to you I'm trying out a new writing style, mostly to reflect how genuinely messed up Duo is, and if you guys like it, I'll keep doing it. I know I had fun with this awkward character study.**

**As always, please please review. I really want to see what people are thinking! If everyone who had this on alert or favorite left me a review… I'd have a lot less anonymous reviews and a hell of a lot more review in general. Please? -puppy eyes-**

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Sx6, RxD, 5xCathy, (past)5xMeiran, (past)2x4, (past)2xSolo, (past)1xR I think that takes care of it...

* * *

Duo stepped out of Heero's car and waved the man goodbye, a bright and fake smile plastered to his face. The expression he held told the world that if he just kept smiling the officer would leave him alone, would call him back to the car, tell him he didn't have to do this and then they could all move on with their lives. As soon as he turned around and headed for the sliding glass doors of the office building and he heard the car sputter away, the smile slipped from his face and he gnawed worriedly at his fingernail. _Was this a good idea? Is talking to a complete stranger really going to help me any? There's nothing wrong with me. I'm not broken. I'm just sad. There's nothing to fix. Nothing._

He swallowed and jammed his hands into his coat pockets. The chill was eating at his resolve, the swoosh of the wind around his thin body penetrating to his bones and whispering for him to make a run for it and never stop. Only the cold, dead weight of the monitor on his ankle stopped him from turning tail. He took a deep, shuddering breath of the biting winter air and stepped inside.

The warm rush of air washed over him and he relaxed a little bit. The worries gnawing at him retreated to the back of his mind and provided a bit of reprieve. He'd expected the office to be just as cold as the outside, like so many other doctors' offices. Casting a glace around at the empty waiting room he stepped up to the receptionist's window, and gently tapped on the pane of glass. The woman looked up from her paperwork at him and flashed a bright smile before sliding the glass to the side.

"You must be Duo Maxwell. Dr. Noin is a little busy right now, but she should be finished up within the next ten minutes, I'll call her to let her know you've arrived. If you could just take a seat we'll get you settled in no time." She was too cheery for someone that worked around crazy people all day and Duo idly wondered if there was something wrong with _her_ that kept her chained to this job.

"Don't I need to fill out a bunch of forms?" Standard office procedure, right? You arrive an hour early and spend most of it filling out insurance forms, contact information, and whatever trivial information they could throw at you. His nerves spiked again when he wasn't handed that normal, standard, clipboard of brightly colored papers.

"Heero already took care of all of that. This is really just a preliminary visit, nothing is concrete," she smiled briefly; "if you don't feel like this is going to help then you won't have to come back, Mr. Maxwell." Right, like that was going to happen. Like Heero was going to let him _not_ come back to this place.

"Oh. Well thank you." He felt embarrassed and nervous by all of the special attention he was getting. All this _treatment_, as if there was any other word for what he was about to go through, was enough to make him feel overwhelmed, so he nodded his head like one of those bobble-headed dogs you see on the dashboards of people's vans and scurried to one of the empty seats. Licking his lips nervously he grabbed a magazine from the table nearest to him and started to read, or to at least pretend to read.

The National Geographic cover glared up at him with all its bright colors and catchy titles like; "Serenade to Swans!" "Kings of Controversy" and others that leapt off the page and seared his eyes. The magazine felt excessively heavy to be real, and reflected too much light for his eyes to handle. He swallowed and opened the little slice of abnormality anyway; tapping his foot on the carpeted floor and hoping his nerves were up to the ten-minute wait.

He was so engrossed in not actually reading the brightly colored and loud article of the magazine that he didn't notice he was being called back until the nurse receptionist tapped lightly on his shoulder. "Dr. Noin is ready for you." Her face held a pitying look and he realized that he'd crumpled the edges of the pages, the same pages he'd been on since he'd sat down in the chair.

He flushed and set the magazine down after smoothing the edges and pulling his eyes away and apologized before hastily making his way down the hall to a smaller office filled with an overstuffed armchair, a loveseat and a computer desk with a dark-haired woman seated in a rolling office chair. This was it. The point of no return. He couldn't tell the woman that there'd been a mistake, that he wasn't supposed to come, that he needed to call his ride. She had a file, _his_ _file_ open in her lap and she was staring at it with a slightly abstracted look on her face that inspired absolutely no confidence in Duo.

"Dr. Noin?"

She looked up from his file and smiled at him. "Call me Lucrezia. I want you to be comfortable while you're here, Duo, and I'm pretty sure you can't do that while spouting off 'Doctor this' and 'Doctor that' at me all the time." Comfortable. In the office of a shrink. That was a fucking riot.

He smiled weakly at her and tried to breathe normally. "I don't think I'm going to be comfortable doing this anyway, Lucrezia. I just want to get back to normal." He settled down in the armchair and crossed his arms and legs. "I can function, but I'm not happy. I just need to… move on. It feels a little disrespectful to my mom, but I can't stop thinking about her and I need to be able to function when the new semester starts."

"Well, keeping people functioning is my job. You should see some of the new recruits after they've had to shoot someone." Her eyes grew troubled and he nearly groaned, he didn't want the sob stories of others, thanks. "That's the worst part. When you see a grown man break down in tears because they had to cut someone down or saw their partner get shot. It's just as bad with the K9 units too. Those boys get so attached to their dogs."

Duo nodded, _Just keep smiling and agreeing with her and you can get out of here faster. The doctor knows best, just listen and you'll be scot free_. "I can imagine." See? Agreement works. "I heard you kept Wufei from a murderous rampage after his wife died, so you must be a miracle worker." Compliment her skills and she'll be eating out of your hand and ready to let you out in no time, way to go.

She cocked her head to the side as if she didn't quite understand what he'd just told her. "They didn't tell you what happened? No, I guess they wouldn't. Wufei always _was_ a stubborn prick about his past. And speaking of, how about we talk about yours, Duo? Tell me about the orphanage." It seems she hadn't. Wufei was hiding something? No shit lady, Duo was hoping she'd finally tell him something he _didn't_ know.

"The orphanage? Why do you want to hear about Maxwell Orphanage?" _There_ was a place he never wanted to go back to. Not that the present was any better, but he had all of his demons locked up in that burned out shell on the outskirts of town. No, best not dig them up, lady, they'll chew you up and spit you out.

She raised an eyebrow. "The best way to get started is to start with your history. The more I know about you, Duo, the better I can help you." Hah. Help. There's no way to help him by digging up the skeletons of his past.

"No pills." He said hastily. He wanted this to be very clear in the beginning. He wasn't going to be turned into a good little zombie that they could parade around and declare to be cured. He was going to make them work for his return to normality. "I'll sit through this as long as you promise that we'll try everything before resorting to pills."

She frowned. Oh, she didn't like that one bit. _I bet she was just waiting to pump some experimental drug into my body and use me as a science experiment!_ "If that's really what you want, Duo. I have to tell you that sometimes medication is the best option." _Like hell it is, you conniving bitch._

"Other things first," he said firmly. You have to be firm with Doctors, otherwise they'll do all kinds of shit to you and you won't even realize it.

She nodded, resigned. _Thank God_. "Other treatment first. Now, are you ready to begin?" She just wasn't letting this past shit go.

"I think so. I don't remember much before Maxwell Orphanage but…"

* * *

Duo sat in a corner with his thumb jammed in his mouth. The grownups were talking again. They were always talking and he was _tired_. He knew what was going to happen anyway. They didn't want to keep him, so he was going to be given to another family. He didn't _want _to be given to another family. He liked it just where he was with Sister Helen and Father Maxwell and Solo. _They_ were his family.

"He's too wild!" The lady waved her arms around.

"Yes, he won't do anything we ask him too and he is sullen and angry around the other children." The man was holding his wife.

"Please, I understand that Duo can be a handful but he really is a good child." Sister Helen was talking soft and low, like she did when Duo brought in sick kittens he found on the street.

"No! I've had enough of this. We're leaving and that menace is staying here!" The lady turned on her heel and ran from the room, her husband trailing along behind her.

Sister Helen rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Duo, why couldn't you try to get along with them? Don't you want a family?"

"I have one," the six year old pouted, "you an' Father Maxwell an' Solo. I don't need another family."

"Oh, Duo," Sister Helen came out from around the desk and hugged the boy tightly to her, "Duo, you need a real family. You can't stay here forever."

* * *

"So, you sabotaged every home you were fostered into because you didn't want to leave?" Lucrezia looked up from her notebook like she couldn't believe that he was capable of something that complicated as a six year old. _Believe it, sister; people grow up faster on the streets than they do in cushy condo lifestyles._

"Pretty much, yeah. They were all temporary homes. My place was there." As much as he had a place. The orphanage wasn't really his home either. He didn't have one, none of the other kids did and he was content knowing he would _never_ have a real home.

"So this continued?" As if she didn't already know the answer to that question. _Christ, I can't believe they give degrees to these people._

"Yeah. You heard about the mutant chicken pox epidemic that swept through Atlanta(1)? The one that killed a bunch of kids?" Maybe she'd respond to a question he already knew the answer too. Everyone had heard of that disease. The city was shut off from the rest of the world, quarantined they called it, and only the rich or the _resistant_ survived. It was a nightmare that still had him waking up in a cold sweat at night, and just thinking about it pushed his heart rate up.

Lucrezia inhaled sharply and he nearly laughed at her expression. "The orphanage was caught up in it, wasn't it?"

"It killed over half of the kids that lived there and scarred the rest. I was the only one to make it out of that with nothing wrong."

"Do you feel guilty?"

"Not anymore. I did though. Because of Solo." He dug his nails into the arms of the chair. "This was when our relationship started going sour. He hated me for making it. For still being… me." Fuck. He didn't want to go here. Didn't want to relive the memories that still made him cry like a baby every time he was alone in his room. He didn't want to traipse through the darkest parts of his memories, to see the purple, angry bruises that mottled his mind like dark, soft, vulnerable spots beneath the surface of a healthy looking apple. There wasn't anything wrong with him. Everyone had demons like this. Everyone had bits and pieces of their past they weren't willing to face, especially well-adjusted individuals like this _doctor._ Fuck, of course he still felt guilty. He was alive and they were all dead or scarred up and here he was all pink and normal and healthy on the outside, while the truth of his past ate away at his insides and his mind like a wormy peach. He started breathing faster, trying to gulp more air down.

* * *

"Duo!"

The eight year old stopped his pacing outside of the orphanage infirmary and looked up into the mutilated face of his old friend. "Solo! You're alive! I really thought-"

"Alive? I guess you could call it that." The thirteen year old clenched his jaw and Duo wondered why his friend was so angry. He'd never be able to understand why his friend just couldn't be _grateful_ like everyone else.

"It's not that bad, Solo. You could be getting buried right now, like nearly everyone else." Duo swallowed against his tears.

Solo seemed to deflate and he sighed. "You're right, Duo. I should feel thankful God decided to spare me. But I feel so _ugly_."

"You're not ugly!"

"You think so?"

"I know so. Come on, let's go watch TV."

"I have a better idea. Come on. Follow me." Solo grabbed Duo by the arm and drug him around the old Cathedral, only stopping to pull the younger boy into a small alcove under some stairs.

"Solo!" Duo wiggled in his friend's embrace, "What are you doing?"

"I want you to prove to me that I'm not ugly."

"Huh? How?"

"Like this," The older boy bent slightly and pressed his lips to Duo's.

Duo froze. "How does that help?"

"Just trust me." He leaned in to kiss Duo again, this time forcing his tongue into the younger boy's mouth.

* * *

Duo stopped his narration when he saw Lucrezia staring at him in horror. As if he was some horridly scarred kid or a nut job in a wheelchair or like someone who'd just confessed to murdering children. "Something wrong, Doctor?"

"Wrong? Everything about that was wrong."

"Yeah. That was Solo for you." The bastard never let up, never after all these years let Duo forget the power he held.

"How long did this go on for?"

_As if you couldn't guess. Bitch. _ "Until I was adopted out two years later. He got progressively more physical too. He insisted on a blowjob when he turned fourteen, for instance." He could see her straining to keep her professional composure and nearly laughed again. He was having trouble now, holding back the hysterical laughter and the shakes. "Anyway," he continued, "I was adopted out at ten, and then shortly afterwards the orphanage caught fire and no one got out, officially speaking. Solo and a few of the kids made it, but Sister Helen and Father Maxwell…" he shrugged, pretending as if he didn't feel responsible for the deaths of the first kind people in his life. He was the God of Death. It followed him everywhere and anyone that got close to him was a goner.

"It doesn't bother you anymore?"

"It was fifteen years ago, Lucrezia." Might as well be yesterday.

"I see." Like she actually understood him and she scribbled something down in that little fucking notebook. "Tell me about your adoption and we can go back to the fire in a minute. What made you change your mind?"

"About cooperating?" he snorted, "Solo did. I let myself get adopted to get away from him. I couldn't do what he was asking me to do anymore." Asking. More like forcing him to do. He couldn't breathe. The air was thick, too thick to be taken in and he stared at Lucrezia, wondering how she could be sitting there calmly as if nothing was wrong, as if the air wasn't trying to drown him.

He stood abruptly and raced from the room, sneakers slapping on the tile and then carpet. Air, he needed air. Needed to breathe, to get out to the cold, thin, winter air. This place was smothering him, trying to kill him! He burst through the front doors and took deep gulps of the achingly cold winter wind. He wrapped his arms around his middle and sank to his knees on the concrete, just thankful to be still alive for now.

Thankfully, she didn't follow him and he was able to pull himself back under control. He took a few more shaky breaths of lung achingly cold air and strode back inside, determined to get through his past without giving her another reason to believe he was anything more than a well-adjusted individual, with a few minor grief problems.

She said nothing as he sidled back into the room and he whipped up his most charming smile. "Sorry about that. I just really needed some fresh air." He ran a hand through his bangs and took his jacket off. "I shoulda done that before the heat in here got to me."

She marked something down in her notebook and Duo relaxed, completely convinced that he had her fooled. It just reinforced his opinion that all of the people in this profession were nothing more than a waste of air.

"About your adoption," she said blandly, "what made you decide to choose this woman out of all of them that had been presented to you?"

Duo shrugged; another useless question. "She was the first to show up after the outbreak." As if that wasn't obvious. "I took the first ticket out of there I could find." He shook his head. "Look, I know what you're trying to do. Despite the circumstances, I grew to love her. She was my _mother_ and I don't appreciate you trying to make it out like I'm an ungrateful brat." There. Make her defensive. Put _her_ on the spot.

"That's not what I'm trying to do at all," she made another note in his file. "I'm just trying to get a clear picture of you and your history."

Bullshit. He smoothed out his affronted expression and smiled. Let her think she's won. Give her the satisfaction and she'll leave the more sensitive subject matter alone. "I'm sorry. What else was there that you'd like to know?"

"Did Solo continue to molest you even after the adoption?"

So much for staying away from sensitive subjects. "No, he left me alone until I went back to help pay mom's rent."

"Sorry if that was a little too personal, Duo." She held up her wrist and checked her watch. "Ah, it seems like we're out of time anyway. Duo, I want you to come back at the same time next week. It's going to take more than one session to help you with your grief."

He refused to look her in the eye as he shouldered on his jacket. "Thanks for the talk, Doc. I feel a lot better already." Bold-faced lie. The bruises on his memory had only been brought to the forefront and poked, making them deeper and more painful. He had a lot of burying to do when he returned home with Heero.

He returned to the overly happy receptionist, who filled out a card and shooed him out the door. He could see the outline of Heero's car through the frosty glass and he took a deep breath, plastered on his happy smile, and stepped outside.

"How did it go?" Heero asked him after he'd settled into the car.

_Terrible. Horrible. I'm going to have nightmares for weeks after dragging all of that back into the light where it should never have been seen._ "It went fine," he said aloud. "I think we made progress today. I'll tell you about it when we get home."

"Aa." Heero kept his eyes on the road and Duo started to worry what was making the Japanese man so nervous. "Duo, are you up for another movie tonight? I know you said you wanted to watch 'Evita,' but I thought we could run to the video store and pick up something instead. If you want to."

Duo finally pulled out a genuine smile. Heero cared about him, at least a little bit and that was enough to shove those painful memories back into the dark where they belonged. For now, at least. "Yeah, Heero. Let's get that new action flick. You know, the one that has every single action movie star in it." Something like that was sure to distract him from the painful past. A testosterone laden "man-movie" was just what the doctor ordered!

Heero grinned, and Duo relaxed as the man's worry lines disappeared. He'd given the right answer and Heero looked pleased as punch that Duo hadn't shoved him away. "That sounds fantastic, Duo."

* * *

**1. Yeah. Mutant Chicken Pox. I went there.

* * *

**

**Oh and I'm using this space to pimp and awesome webcomic called "Hanna is Not a Boy's Name." Go read it!**


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**I would like to let everyone know that I've NEVER been to the arcade mentioned in this chapter. If you, or someone you know has… then feel free to correct me on the things I got wrong, yeah? That's probably why this chapter is a bit shorter.**

** And as for why it's a little late… I had three exams this past week, and I've finally caught a break. The next chapter may take about three weeks to get out. I'm so sorry, classes are killing me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop! Things may just fall a little by the wayside while I get my education going, but I promise to write whenever I have free time!  
**

**And if this chapter squicks you out… I'm sor… no I'm not. I did it on purpose xD

* * *

**

Hands touched him. Cold, dead hands that had no place on his body. They caressed him and pushed their way into his most intimate places. He knew to whom the hands belonged. There only person to whom they could belong.

Solo.

It was Solo. Still alive, not dead. Not dead even though his breath was gurgling wetly though the gash ripped in his throat and the dead man's innards were oozing though the hole in his belly and onto Duo's own.

He couldn't see. Couldn't open his eyes. But he knew anyway. The evidence was still dripping onto his body, oozing down his sides, and soaking into the covers below him. He was sticky. Dirty. He felt Solo's cold and dead phallus forcing its way inside him and tears were added to the clinging gunk below his head. There was too much blood. One person didn't have that much blood in them… right?

"It's your fault, you know."

_What?_ His mother? His mother said that? No. She wouldn't. She would hold him and tell him it's going to be alright. She would never let him suffer like this.

"The fire was your fault. My death is your fault. You're even going to kill these so-called friends of yours. If you really cared for them, you'd leave. Kill yourself. That way you won't ever kill anyone ever again, and you'll go to hell for what you've done." He could hear her smirking, but that wasn't right. His mother never smirked. "Here. I'll save you the trouble and just kill you myself."

Cock in his ass and cold hands on his throat. Blood all around him! Squeezing, choking, penetrating, he had to get out, had to move!

He opened his eyes to the darkness of his room and screamed.

* * *

Heero rocked his knife back and forth on the cutting board, slicing the red bell pepper into thin, neat strips as the butter sizzled in the pan on the stove. A bowl of beaten eggs lay next to the cutting board with a fork resting on the side. With a thoughtful hum, he poured the blended eggs into the pan and sprinkled the shredded bell pepper over the top of the eggs.

Narrowing his eyes, he quickly scanned through the spice cabinet, taking stock and trying to figure out what else he should add to his omelet when a scream from upstairs cut across his musings. He snatched the pan off of the stove, spilling some egg on the counter and floor in the process and then raced upstairs.

He heard Duo scream again and tripped on the top stair. His knees hit the corner and he let out a curse before scrambling to his feet and dashing to Duo's door. Not even pausing to knock or grab the handle, he kicked the door open and sprinted to the side of the bed, wrapping Duo in a hug and pulling the blankets away from the braided man's neck. "Shh. Calm down. It was just a nightmare, relax."

He swallowed hard when Duo clung to him and sobbed into his shirt. He could barely make out the words that were coming through the tears. "Solo… mom… fault…" He felt Duo's nails dig into his back and he bit back a hiss.

"Duo, please relax. It's all right. You're here; it's safe. Don't worry." Heero stroked the back of Duo's head, trying to get the other man to calm down.

Duo clung to him for a few minutes more before stiffening and shoving Heero away. "'M sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't wake me up, I was cooking breakfast," Heero said with a small smile, and stepped away from the bed and sat on the floor, looking up at the frightened indigo-eyed man. "Do you feel like talking about it?"

"I… not really." Duo wrapped his arms around his front and rubbed them, as if he were cold. "It was just a nightmare. Like you said. It's not true."

Heero nodded, and waited for Duo to continue.

Duo took a deep breath and sighed, "I'm really sorry I drew you away from your cooking though. You shouldn't have to drop everything if something happens to me. It's not fair to you," Duo managed a weak smile.

"It's fine, Duo," Heero shook his head, "we're friends, aren't we? And this is what friends do. They listen, and they run to help if something's wrong. You've been having trouble sleeping ever since I took you to see Lucrezia. I'm not sure I should be taking you back if she didn't help." Heero watched as Duo turned a hopeful gaze on him and he knew what the other man's response was going to be so he shook his head and continued, "though she managed to help Wufei, so she can probably help you with these nightmares."

Duo closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "Yeah," he said after a moment's hesitation, "you're right. Maybe she can. I'll make sure to talk to her about them next week." He fiddled with the covers for a moment before, "Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we do something… different today?"

"Like what?"

"Well, since it's the weekend and you aren't working the night shift again until Monday… Could we maybe go to Andretti's(*) for a little bit?" Duo stared at him as if he knew that Heero's answer would be a no.

Heero grinned. "I think we could arrange that." He tapped his chin with his finger thoughtfully. "Though, I'll definitely have to go with you. All in the line of duty of course, since you might try to run if I let you go alone." With another grin, he winked at Duo and stood. "Let's go finish up with breakfast and we'll see what time they're open." Heero pulled out his cell phone and made a note to talk to Noin later in the day as Duo's enthusiastic response cut through the room.

"Fantastic!"

* * *

Duo stared up at the red Andretti's sign and grinned like a little kid. "Come on! Heero, if you don't hurry up, I'm gonna go inside and leave you behind!"

"Relax, Duo." Heero was shaking his head, "It's not going to run away just because we don't get inside within the next five seconds."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, I didn't think someone like you would be interested in arcade games, but you're here with me and just as excited. So who knows what this arcade could do. Maybe it'll grow legs and just run off! Hurry!" Duo was just in a hurry to get his mind off of the problems his nightmare had caused him.

Heero rolled his eyes and walked a little faster.

"Huzzah," Duo cheered and stepped through the automatic doors into the nice, _warm_ interior of the building. The "courtyard" spread out before him in a riot of colors and sounds. He heard the rev of the go-karts, the techno sounds from the DDR machine, and a whole host of other games with their individual jingles.

Duo pulled out a twenty and a plastic card before making his way up to the desk. "Hi! I need to add this twenty to my card."

The attendant gave him a rather fake smile and took both the money and the card. She typed up some data into the computer, swiped the card, and handed it back to him with a, "Have a nice day and enjoy."

He stuffed the card in his pocket and said, "Thanks!" before running off to the first machine. The neon sign proclaimed it to be the "Pharaoh's Treasure" and the smaller sign below it pointed to the token slot. The point to the game, as far as Duo could tell, was to drop a token into the machine, watch it fall down the back, and land on the moving shelf at the bottom. Tokens would then be pushed off of the moving shelf and down to the bottom tray where they could then be pushed off into a tray and eight tickets would be awarded for every token that fell to the bottom. If he managed to move the heavy sarcophagus, he would be awarded the number of bonus tickets listed on the counter on the back of the wall.

Fifteen minutes later he was still plying the machine with tokens after going back and forth to the counter to add more money to the game card, and then to the token machine to get more tokens. There was a pile of tickets at his feet and he had just a few tokens left. He tried to aim for the middle of the pile and put in his last token. With his fingers crossed and a small prayer, he watched the token fall down the back and come to rest in the very center, right where he wanted it. The tokens on the sliding shelf fell to the bottom, were pushed forward, and sent a waterfall of tokens over the edge _and_ pushed the sarcophagus past the waypoint. He let out a whoop as the numbers counted down the nine-hundred tickets he'd won.

Instantly, it seemed, Heero was at his side watching the tickets being spit out. "How much money did you waste on this contraption?"

"Uhh… seventy dollars… I think." Duo gave him a sheepish grin.

Heero's eyebrows rose incredulously.

"It's addicting. I can't help it!"

"Remind me to never take you to a casino," Heero said, wryly. "Come on, after your tickets are done and counted let's go play something else. Something that _doesn't_ involve gambling."

Duo rolled his eyes, but followed Heero over to the ticket-counting machine and then over to the DDR machine set up in the back. He raised his eyebrow in question, but Heero just smiled and swiped the card twice, starting up a versus game. "You know I haven't played this game in years, right?" Duo said as he stepped onto the platform.

"Is that so? Well I suppose I could take it easy on you, for the first song or two," Heero had a slightly evil grin on his face.

"You'll do what now?" Duo _knew_ he was being foolish by responding to the challenge. "I'll take it at any level _you_ can, buddy."

Duo had to give the other man credit. Heero didn't even laugh at him once as they set the game up and started on standard mode. Though the prussian-eyed man was being suspiciously generous when he told Duo, "You pick the first song."

Duo narrowed his eyes and scanned through the music wheel, finally settling on "Captain Jack" with a smug grin. He _knew_ this song.

"Are you sure about that one?"

"I'm sure, Heero. I'm not changing my choice now." Duo rolled his shoulders and stretched out his legs a little as the announcer blared, "Are you ready?" and the music started. As the arrows scrolled across the screen and he missed the timing more often than not, he started to think that maybe he didn't know this song as well as he thought he did.

Heero, of course, was getting every single perfect available and had his points bar swirly red and yellow. Duo growled, and tried even harder, but only ended up with a big fat failure on his side of the screen. He was leaning on the arched pole behind him and gasping for breath when the song was over, while Heero just stood there not even breathing hard. The asshole had _actually_ danced while the music had been playing too, not just putting his feet in the right place at the right time.

"Problem?" The smug bastard had his hands on his hips.

"Not," gasp "at all," wheeze "You pick the next song." Duo hauled himself into a standing position and crossed his arms, making no move to change the game into light mode.

Heero chuckled and spun the wheel, settling on "Speed over Beethoven."

After two more failures, Duo waved off Heero's helping hand. "Don't bother. You win. Gonna play something else," and he trudged over to a rather strange looking racing game. _Horse racing? And you can breed them? What?_ He sat down, looking rather puzzled. Apparently the game involved racing and breeding horses, and after ten races you could save your horse to your card, and play later on and use him (or her) for breeding purposes. _Aw, why the hell not._ He swiped his card through and started playing.

He was still sitting there an hour later when Heero came looking for him. "Oh man, Heero! You've got to try this game!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you can breed and race horses and you get to keep all your champions and breed them later on, it's really cool!"

"I see."

"Don't be such a sourpuss. Sit down and try it!"

He watched Heero frown out of the corner of his eye, but the chocolate haired man sat down and started playing.

They didn't get out until closing.

* * *

*Andretti Indoor Karting & Games: it's an arcade type thing for college-aged kids. It's like between the arcades you find in the mall, and a Dave and Buster's.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer/Notes/Misc: Yegodz. Every single time… -grumbles- I don't own Gundam Wing or the G-boys, if I did, it would be a hentai with lotsa boypiles. Mmm… boypiles… I also don't own Atlanta or the Justice system both of which I shamelessly abuse in my story.

**Oooh, look! More pseudo-therapy and introspective Duo. I hope you guys are still enjoying. Don't be shy about reviewing this unfortunately short-ass chapter. And please forgive me for taking so long? School is kicking my ass from here to kingdom come.  
**

**Oh, and if you see anything in here that gives you a giggle, let me know. I left an Easter egg for you :'D**

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Duo stepped out of the cold wind and into the slightly warm office of the police psychiatrist again. He had the foresight to wear a warmer coat this time, generously lent to him by Trowa. The bruising he'd managed to cover up with the trip to Andretti's was back. Worse this time. They weren't just bruises anymore. His mind was raw and oozing; a mass of pain that just wouldn't go away. All the time he could hear the voices of the kids, Sister Helen, Father Maxwell, his mother, Solo… he could hear them whispering all the time. This is your fault Duo. All your fault. We've all died because of you. You did this to us.

He swallowed angrily. _Not my fault. I'm not to blame for this. I may have known you, but it's not my fault you died. Not my fault I'm Shinigami._ He took a deep breath and nodded to the receptionist. She took one look at his bleak face and waved him on back. The quack was ready for him this time. She'd had time to make up a diagnosis.

He stepped into the softly lit room, and settled on the couch. Noin had her face buried in his folder, and didn't seem to notice he was there. He fidgeted, almost ready to get up and walk out until she spoke up with a concerned expression, "Did you have a good week, Duo?"

He snorted. He knew what she was digging at. Knew this was just a way to poke at his mind and make him slip up. Well… that wasn't going to happen. Not this time. Not ever again. He would never let her catch him being weak, like last time. "You could say that."

He watched her brows raise in what seemed like surprise, or even confusion. "I heard you were having nightmares. Was it about anything we brought up last time?" Ah, that's what it was. Confusion. Heero betrayed him. Told this quack everything.

"Heero shouldn't have told you." He was pissed. Who wouldn't be? A person who calls himself your friend goes behind your back to tell some fake science "doctor" everything about you in an attempt to _fix_ you. Like you were broken. Betrayal. Betrayal of the worst kind.

"Maybe not, but he cared enough about you to say something. That warrants at least being truthful this time, right?" She looked at him directly this time. So _innocently_ at him.

_Cared? If he cared he never would have said anything to you. Never would have taken my trust and squashed it like a bitty little bug._ He snorted again and gave her an innocent smile of his own. "What makes you think I wasn't truthful last week?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he could tell she almost laughed out loud. "For starters, the anxiety attack you had in the middle of our session."

"What? No, I just got really hot was all." How dare she suggest there was something wrong with him. There wasn't. He didn't have an _anxiety_ problem.

"If you insist." She didn't believe him, the bitch! "Now, you also seem to be harboring a lot of guilt for everything that's happened, according to what Heero informed me that you told him when you first woke up. From the first time Solo touched you, to the fire, and finally to the death of your mother."

"I told you last time, I don't feel guilty." He shuffled around on the couch, and voided looking directly at her. He wasn't guilty! It's not his fault that people die. It's not his fault that Solo molested him. It's not his fault he kept letting it happen.

"I know, Mr. Maxwell." She stared down her nose at him again, as if she were better than he was. "Your body language told me a very different story though. What you have to understand, is that people lie." No shit, lady. "If you dig at their problems they will, inevitably, throw up a shield. My job is to look for the lies, and break down that shield so the healing can begin." No! Your job is to be a lying bitch that makes up problems. "I will honor my promise of no drugs," bullshit, "but I want you to be honest with me. I want you to tell me the truth so that we can stop all these silly word games."

Games. She thought he was just playing games. She thought he was crazy. He wasn't crazy. Was he? The big ugly wounds on his memory didn't make him crazy. The voices and nightmares didn't make him broken. He was fine. He could continue on, and keep his friends at arm's length and never have another lover. He could do that. Couldn't he?

No. He couldn't.

Something inside of his mind snapped. All the tears and frustrations from his sordid past made their way to his face, he curled his knees to his chest, hiding his face in his legs, and he sobbed, "I didn't do it."

"Mr. Maxwell…" He couldn't see her, but he knew she was reaching. Reaching out to him… like she _cared._

He couldn't help it. He flinched away, deeper into the cushions of the couch. "I'm not guilty. I didn't do it."

"What didn't you do?"

He jerked his face up and glared at her through the tears that made a mess of his face. "Don't play games with me, you hack. You know I didn't do it."

"Duo, you have to tell me. I can't just sit here and make guesses." She sounded so reasonable. Like she really had no idea what he was talking about. She was the shrink. She had to know what he was talking about, even if he didn't.

He grabbed at something. Something he was _sure_ he didn't do. Something they could prove he didn't do. "I didn't start the fire."

"Of course you didn't." Honeyed words. Sympathy…

"I was adopted by then. The records show it." There. Facts. Here was something he could prove. He was adopted before the fire. He was at school when the fire flared up and the police showed up to ask him questions.

"Absolutely, Duo." He stopped paying attention to her. She was just noise. Not making any sense right now.

"I didn't kill mom. It's not my fault." He shoved his face back into his legs, letting the denim absorb all the tears.

"Ah. None of this is your fault Duo."

"I killed Solo because I had to. If he hadn't…" He started to shake.

"If he hadn't what?" Something meaningful. She was making sense again.

"If he hadn't… touched me… I never would have hurt him." There! That was it. That bastard would never have gotten hurt if he hadn't started molesting little boys. He'd be alive if he'd just left Duo alone.

"He was a bad person, that's right." She knew. She knew bad people. She must have to deal with criminals all the time.

"And… and his goons killed mom." _Not me. I didn't kill my mom. _

"That's it, Duo. Let it out."

"I'm not guilty! I'm not!" He wedged himself back into the couch as far as he could, sobbing and shaking his head. The tension, the pain, the anger flowed out of him with the tears. He wasn't broken, but he _did_ need help. The bruises were never going to heal if he kept poking at them. The ugly gashes on his soul were never going to heal if he kept picking at the scab, kept himself in pain. He needed to learn how to forget. To let it all go. To stop dwelling on the past and to start living for the future. He knew this now.

He raised his head and sniffed. "Can I have a tissue?" He took the one she silently offered and mopped his face up.

"Do you want me to call Heero to come and get you?"

"I… yes. Please." _I need my friend._

"The same time next week. Right, Duo?" She looked so eager now.

"But it's Christmas next week." He protested. He didn't want to come back. He knew he had to, but he didn't want to, and that was the only excuse he could think of.

"Would you like to postpone until after Christmas?" She was considerate. Too nice for him to agree with.

"I… No. It's still a few days before, so I'll be here." He gave in. He was trapped in his decision, but at least it was _his_ to make this time.

"Alright. I'll see you next week." She gave a soft smile and shoo'd him out of the room with a waggle of her hand.

"Yeah doc. Bye." He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched into the waiting room. To his surprise, Heero was already waiting. He was idly flipping through the same Magazine Duo'd had last week. Duo gave a short nod and a half-hearted smile to the receptionist and cleared his throat.

Heero turned around, and Duo was grateful to see the worry and hurt in his friend's eyes. "Duo! Are you alright?"

"Hrm? Oh, the tears… I'll explain everything when we get home, alright? I just… not in the car." He shuffled his feet, looking ashamed. The carpet was a very interesting shade of blue. How had he not noticed that before? Oh, right.

"Alright." Heero put an arm around his shoulders and led him out to the car. The drive home was quiet, and Duo used the time to keep his mind blank, before revealing everything to Heero. When they reached the house, Heero helped him inside and to the left where they sat facing each other on the couch.

"So now are you going to tell me what happened?" Heero was biting his lip, as if _he_ were the nervous one. _Which_, Duo reflected later, _he probably was. I mean, after all we were about to talk about my bizarre mental instability._

Duo almost smiled at the expression, but sat and explained everything he'd gone through with Noin, and everything he was feeling, and why he felt that way, and why he was keeping people away from him. "So... I feel guilty. But I shouldn't."

Heero was quiet for a few minutes, before he took Duo's face in his hands, a guesture which shook Duo and left him trembling all the way down to his toes. "Duo. Listen to me. None of this, none of what happened is your fault. It's not your fault that Solo was twisted enough to take advantage of you, to use you for his own… pleasures. I promise you, when you find the right man; he will treat you like an equal. He will give you the respect you deserve, and he will love you with all of his heart."

"Heero, I-" His face was burning, the blood rushed to his face causing an intense blush he hadn't had since high school. He knew he was attracted to Heero. He wanted the handsome and kind man that was sitting across from him. Could he? It wasn't his fault people close to him died. Could he really have someone again?

"It's okay. Don't forget you have a lot of friends now, and of you need to talk to any of us, we're here for you." Heero smiled. A perfect expression on a perfect face and Duo knew he was smitten. _Knew_ that there was nothing more in the world that he wanted right now other than this man right here.

"Thanks, Heero. For everything." Duo smiled, and before he could stop himself, leaned forward and pressed his lips to Heero's. He felt Heero freeze beneath him and jerked himself back, nearly falling off of the couch. "Oh God! Oh God! I'm sorry! I… Oh God. I'm… I… Heero, I didn't mean to… Oh shit…" He scrambled up from the floor, mind screaming in panic, and he fled. His bare feet pounded up the stairs and carried him into his room. Heero had replaced the handle and lock on his door the day after it had been kicked down. _Heero froze_. He was hyperventilating. He rushed over to the window and hauled it open, taking in great gasps of cold air. He'd had no idea if the man even wanted him or not and he'd _kissed_ the Japanese man with no warning. _Heero is going to kill me_.


	12. Chapter 11

**Oh look, a new chapter . Sorry it's been so long guys, my Grandmother is sick, I had class stuff piling up, I got a new job and well… this kind of fell by the way side. I'll make it up to you though. I know this chapter is short, but it's positively busting down the door with emotions. Please don't kill me ;_;**

* * *

Heero sat on the couch for a long moment before he raised a shaking hand to his lips. Had anyone been around to see, his expression would have been unreadable. His mouth was slack, lips pressed into a thin line; his eyes half-lidded with his breathing regular and slow. Then his lips twitched. Once, twice, and finally into a full-blown grin. His eyes slipped closed and his breathing grew erratic. A small laugh bubbled up in his chest and passed his lips. _He kissed me... he actually kissed me._ His gleeful pondering was very suddenly interrupted by the fact that he realized Duo was no longer sitting next to him. The braided man had vacated the room shortly after the kiss. "Oh shit! Duo!" He scrambled from his seat and tore his way up the stairs. "Oh God, Duo!" He fell against the solid door and tried to twist the handle. When it wouldn't move, he slumped against it to the floor. "Duo, let me in, please."

A muffled shout came through the door, "Go away!"

"No, Duo. Please let me in to talk!" His voice cracked.

"No. I don't want to be responsible for a cop committing homicide."

Heero let out a wild, almost sobbing laugh. "You think that's what this is about? God, Duo. I don't want to talk to you through a door. Let me _in_." When the room went quiet and the door didn't open, Heero curled up on the floor outside of Duo's room and waited.

That was where Trowa found him hours later; slumped against the door, fast asleep. The green-eyed man cocked his head to the side, staring out from under his unibang before he gently shook Heero awake. "Hey, Heero. You gotta be at work soon."

Heero scrunched his face up and yawned, before turning a longing look at the door. "Duo… I need to talk to him."

"I'll take care of it, Heero. You need to get to work. You know Une will move him somewhere else if he starts affecting your attendance."

"But, I need to talk to him!" Heero stood wobbly, "I made a mistake earlier! I need to fix it. You have to let me fix it!"

Trowa shook his head. "I'll take care of it Heero. Just go get ready for work. Please. I promise I won't let him run away."

Heero gave the green-eyed man a level stare, before slouching off to the bathroom. Trowa sighed and stepped downstairs to his bedroom to change out of his uniform. The brunette was more than happy to peel off his bulletproof vest and set his belt to the side. He sighed again when he pulled his gun out of his waistband and set it to the side. When he was stripped to an A-shirt and a pair of pj pants he headed back up to Duo's door to wait.

Trowa gave Heero a nod when the prussian-eyed man let his gaze linger on the door, and then left. "Alright, Duo. Either you're going to open this door and let me in, or I'll go put my work boots back on and kick it open." There was a shuffling noise from within the room, and some obviously fake snoring. Trowa snorted. "I know you're not asleep. Now you're just giving me no choice. I'll be back in a moment, then."

The fake snoring broke off abruptly and Duo's door slowly opened. "Don't wanna talk to you. You're gonna kill me too."

"Duo, no one is going to kill you. I just want to know what happened today. Heero wouldn't tell me anything except he needed to apologize to you." Trowa rolled his eyes.

A pair of violet eyes and a long braid of chestnut hair peered out from behind the door. "He doesn't need to apologize. It was my fault."

"You keep telling me that, but you still haven't told me what happened," Trowa growled, aggravated.

Duo sighed and disappeared into the room again. "Fine. Come in."

Trowa snorted again and stepped into the darkened room, flicking the switch up on his way in. "I'm not talking to you in the dark."

Duo glared at him from his spot on the bed. The violet-eyed man was curled up with his knees tucked up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. His chin rested on his knees and his lips were pressed into a thin worried line. "Fine. Light's on. Talk."

"I think that's my line," Trowa said wryly as he took a seat on the floor. "Why don't you tell me what happened today?"

Duo bit his bottom lip and pressed a hand to his forehead. "I kissed him. He'd just told me he hoped I'd find someone that would treat me right, and would love me for me, and I was stupid and I kissed him." Duo buried his face in his knees and shook.

Trowa smothered a smile. _This may not be something I can fix, but I can try._ "Is that all?" He asked lightly and bit back a laugh when Duo's head shot up.

"What are you talking about?" Duo replied hoarsely. "He hates me now. I shouldn't have done that. I can't look at him anymore."

Trow sighed. "Duo, listen to me. I've known Heero a very long time. And he doesn't hate you. Quite the opposite in fact."

"What?"

"He really likes you. He has for a while now," Trowa grinned, "He's been talking to me ever since you moved in. You just fulfilled his wildest dream, Duo. He was sure that you'd never get the hint and come to him."

"You... you're joking." Hope bloomed on Duo's face and Trowa shook his head.

"No joke."

"I can't do this."

"What?"

The hope fell from Duo's face to be replaced with worry. "I can't do this. Everyone close to me dies. I'm the God of Death. My friends and family all died. You have to understand why I can't get close."

"No, Duo, I don't understand." Trowa shook his head. "You've been friends with Quatre for a long time, and he hasn't died."

Duo's face grew stricken. "You know?"

"I know."

"And you don't hate me?" There was that hope again.

"I don't hate you. It was a long time ago. There's nothing but friendship between you two anymore. Why would I be threatened?" Trowa smiled reassuringly.

"You're a very unusual man," Duo said quietly, "most would be out for my blood, knowing their lover and I once had a thing."

"There's no point to it. No point in being jealous of the past." Trow shrugged. "It just leads to bad vibes and mistrust, and without trust you don't have a relationship."

Duo sat quiet for a moment. "I still can't be with Heero," he said quietly. "I don't want him to get hurt, and I can't guarantee he _won't _get hurt."

"Then you have to tell _him_ that," Trowa said quietly. "I'm not going to let you hurt him like this either. Take him with you when you see Noin next week."

"I... are you sure?"

"Yeah. And keep in mind, Heero is very stubborn. He's not just going to give up on you. I can promise you that." Trowa chuckled.

"I'll remember."


	13. Chapter 12

**Holy crap it's been so long, what the hell was I doing? Sorry if this chapter is quite crappy. It's taken me a bit to get back in the groove of these guys. I seriously have no idea what the hell happened in this chapter and I'm so sorry if it suuuuuuucks. It gets better though! Not all that much longer, but better soon... I promise. I've got plenty of free time now so hopefully I can write more!  
**

* * *

"It's nice to see you again, Heero. What's the occasion?" Noin shook the officer's hand while Duo looked on nervously.

"Duo wanted me here," Heero replied.

"There's something he needs to hear," Duo said quietly as he sat down on the couch. "I have some things I need to explain."

"I see."

Duo swallowed nervously. He didn't want to be back here, but this is where he needed to be. They broke him. He needed this now and he knew it, though he was still a little angry. He needed them to poke a prod and expose the dark, bruised, angry portions of his mind. Because without light, without them... those bruises would never heal. And he wanted to heal. He wanted to heal so that he could be with Heero, and stop worrying about his... curse. He didn't want to keep pushing people away. He was sick of being alone. "I kill people," He blurted out. "People whom I care for, die. They die. I don't... I don't want you to get hurt."

Heero was impassive. Duo stared with growing horror and the words spilled from him faster and faster. "I'm sorry that I kissed you without warning, and I'm sorry I ran away. I should have stayed and talked to you, but I was so afraid! Heero, you have no idea what it's like to lose everyone that's like a family to you, and the only connection to them is _you_. The only constant in my life has been dead friends, dead family. My birth parents... God, they just dumped me in the orphanage. No one has ever wanted me before and I," he started crying. The tears slipped from his eyes and sobs racked his body, "I just don't want to be alone anymore." He sat there, shaking on the couch before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Duo, I meant what I said." Heero's breath puffed over his ear and he shivered. "I told you that you deserved someone to love you. You deserve to be happy, and I want to help you to be happy. Will you let me?"

Duo took a few, deep, hiccuping breaths before he could respond. "Please, please help me. I need you. I need help."

Noin coughed and smiled at the two young men in front of her. "Good. This is good. Let's go with this today. Duo, please tell me why you think you're the reason everyone has died. If it hurts too much to talk about it, I understand. But we need to make progress."

Duo clenched his teeth against an acidic reply, and buried his face in Heero's chest. This is what trust felt like. This is where he could be warm and safe and talk about anything. He would be safe. They couldn't hurt him in here. "Because I knew all of them. I know it's irrational, but like I said earlier, the only consistent factor in all my failed relationships... is me."

"You've lead a tragic life," Noin said, "It's only natural that you'd look at life this way. Believe me when I say that there's nothing connecting you to any of the tragedies in your life. These things happen, and it's not your fault."

"How do you know?" he asked, voice stricken.

"Because Quatre's alive right?" Heero spoke into his ear.

Duo turned a horrified look on the man holding him. "You know?"

"Trowa told me."

Duo looked away, back to Noin. "Yeah, okay. I have one friend I haven't lost yet. Well... You guys count too, and..."

"And Wu-fei's wife was murdered," Heero said softly, tightening his hug. "Do you think that's _his_ fault?"

Duo turned back to stare at Heero. "His... murdered? Who, why would... it's because he's a cop, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Dekim hired out goons to get to Wu-fei, and they took out his wife. He... also went after your mother. To get to me."

"I... you? Why?"

"Because you were my charge. In my care. And Dekim knows me well enough that I would do anything to keep a charge safe despite personal feelings." Heero sighed and stroked his hair. "I can't guarantee your safety if you stay with me. You're already in protective custody and if you're moved constantly it would keep you safer."

"Heero... I... I don't want to go anywhere. But I just... I don't think I can do this." Duo hugged his knees and slipped out of Heero's hold. "I don't know if I can be with someone who is at risk of dying all the time. I've always wanted someone... stable. With a quiet, noiseless job." He closed his eyes to the wounded look on theofficer's face. After losing everyone he'd ever cared about, how could he go through with this? How could he go through with the danger of losing someone else?

"I see."

"Heero?"

Heero didn't look at him. "I'll be leaving now. Trowa will pick you up."

Duo squeezed his eyes shut, trying to not let the tears leak from his eyes as he heard Heero walk out of the room and quite possibly out of his life.

Noin remained silent until she was sure the man on the couch wasn't going to start talking. "Duo, we need to continue the session."

"You know what?" Duo said in a very quiet voice, "fuck your session lady. I just screwed everything up. Leave me alone."

Noin sighed and she too, walked out of the room leaving Duo alone with his grief.

Duo passed the time by taking a nap on the couch until Trowa arrived to pick him up. Duo clawed his way up out of sleep when a sharp pain in his shoulder announced the arrival of the green-eyed man. Trowa poked him again and in a no nonsense voice said, "We're leaving. Get up, now."

Duo roused himself as fast as he could and staggered to his feet. "Alright. Jeeze. I'm up, I'm moving. Let's go," he huffed. They made their way out to the car in silence and Duo didn't volunteer any information when Trowa shot him a questioning look as they settled into his rust-bucket truck. The braided man settled unto a sulk, watching the scenery move by.

"You can't keep moping like this, you know," Trowa said suddenly.

"And why not?"

"Because all you're doing is making yourself and the people around you miserable." Trowa snorted, "It doesn't take much to depress you does it?"

"He left," Duo mumbled into the window.

"I know." Trowa's voice was tight with anger. "He left because you intentionally hurt him. What else would he do?"

"I just didn't want to see him get hurt."

"So you hurt him and send him off on his merry way after he offers to protect you? What the fuck, Duo? He's a Police Officer. Whether you're with him or not that's what he's going to be and that means getting hurt sometimes." Trowa rubbed his face with one hand. "This is like cutting off a hand because you got a paper-cut and you're worried about an infection."

"But I... I just can't lose another person that I care for. Don't you see? If he's hurt while we're together it'll be my fault."

"Bullshit. This way you're losing him for good, and if you just take a chance, you might see that while it's a dangerous job, police deaths are few and far between." Trowa raised an eyebrow. "And as for it being your fault if he gets hurt... Duo, unless you're going to shoot him, stab him, or otherwise hire someone to do that it's not your fault if he gets hurt."

Duo lifted his gaze from the road and turned in his seat to stare at Trowa. "What are you saying?"

"You should talk to him. Tonight. Before all of this gets even further out of hand than it already is." The green-eyed officer spared him a look, "You either care about him, or you don't. If you don't, then tell him and stop stringing him along before _I_ kick your ass."

"No... no, I care," Duo said softly. "I care very much."

"Good. Now, seeing as the Christmas party is tomorrow, is there anyone you'd like to invite? Any classmates perhaps?"

"No. Not really." Duo slid farther down into the seat. "Never got that close to many of my classmates, and I doubt you want the Tech marching band at the house."

Trowa laughed. "You've got that right. I can do without those heathens tearing around the place like they own it and using my good glasses for beer pong."

"Hey! They aren't heathens!"

"Alright, alright. Just don't forget to talk to Heero tonight. Even if it doesn't turn out okay, you can at least say you tried and put on a happy face tomorrow."

Duo made a soft sound of assent, and they spent the rest of the trip in a comfortable silence.


	14. Chapter 13

**And here's the next chapter. Holy crap guys. I am SO, SO Sorry. Got some resolution between the boys and a big yay for that. The next chapter is killing me and so is school. I'm not sure how regular updates will be anymore, I have an extra chapter stored in my buffer, so I can give you something soonish. Again, I'm so sorry, I know it's short, but...**

* * *

Duo raised his hand to knock on Heero's door before letting it fall back to his side. _How and I going to do this?_ he wracked his brain for an answer. _Honesty works, right? I can just walk in, tell him I think I love him and then everything will be fine... right? Oh, who am I kidding._ he rubbed at his face a little and took another deep breath. _I'll go for honesty anyway. At least that way I can tell everyone I did this the way I was supposed to, even if I fall flat on my face._ He raised his hand again, and knocked politely on the door, scuffling his toes into the beige carpet.

There was a few moments of silence before Heero's voice floated through the door, "Yes?"

Duo gulped. One word and he was already starting to shake again. "I ah... It's Duo." He cursed himself for the stupid reply, _Of course it's you, moron!_ He tried to recover by asking, "Can I come in? Please? We... need to talk. A lot." _And here is Captain Obvious, here to point out things like a goddamn idiot._

Silence again. "Didn't you do enough talking at the doc's office?" Heero's voice was cold and sharp.

Duo winced. _See? That was an idiotic statement, but hey... more truth can't hurt, right?_ He sighed and pressed his forehead to the door. "I was an idiot, Heero. I wasn't... thinking. Please let me come in and talk to you. I want to set this straight. Will you at least let me explain before you kick me out of the house?"

"Fine."

The door opened and Duo stumbled a bit, quickly regaining his balance. _Goddamn, that's what I get for leaning against the door. That would have started this off well, "Hi Heero!" and then splat into the floor._

Heero stood with his hands on his hips and an expression of indifference plastered to his face. His prussian eyes were narrowed and he raised one eyebrow as if to ask, "What do you want." Duo took a few deep breaths and swallowed, absently noting the rumpled bed covers and the scattering of stuff across the floor. "I'm," the words seemed to stick in his throat, "I'm sorry. I know that doesn't help anything, and words are just words unless you do something to change it, but for what it's worth... I'm sorry. I know it won't make up for hurting you back there, but I am." _Great, i come in to just apologize and I end up with a case of diarrhea of the mouth. Thanks adrenaline, you just made this day so much better. Maybe i should just run now, make a break for it. He can't possibly be able to catch me after all the officers I've outrun._

Heero sighed, some of the steel leaving his eyes and posture. "Duo... come in and sit down. You're right. We do need to talk."

Duo let loose a silent cheer, mentally kicked his doubts in the face, and followed Heero over to the couch, where he perched on one of the armrests. "Heero, I-"

"I want you to shut up and listen to me, Duo," Heero interrupted in a soft and calm voice. "I'm a Police Officer. Things are going to happen to me, whether anyone I care for is involved or not. Every time I go out on a call my life is in danger."

Duo blinked and he frowned, eyebrows pinched together. "How can everything be life threatening? I mean, you can't get killed pulling someone over, right?"

Heero leaned back against the armrest on the other side of the couch. "The life of an officer isn't just about pulling people over for speeding. That's the least dangerous of our jobs and even then people are killed. Have you wondered why it's illegal to drive on the same side of the road that an officer has pulled someone over?"

"A little, yeah."

"Because police were getting killed by drivers who drove a little too close to the shoulder. Cars wouldn't even bother to slow down, or pay attention and they'd hit the cruisers or even officers just trying to do their job. There's also been times where the speeder will lead an officer on a high speed chase or even shoot them." Heero looked silently at the ground for a few moments. "It's especially bad here in Atlanta. People just don't care. They don't know and they don't care. They see the bad side of officers all too often. Men who've had bad days and don't know how to shut that anger off before they come into work, officers who get caught stealing drugs from the evidence rooms. And then you have people that believe they haven't done anything wrong when we bust them for drugs or illegal weapons. It's a hard life, Duo. Whether you're involved or not, there is always a chance I'll get hurt. Always a chance I might not make it home. There are too many ways for us to get hurt and many people will see it as justice that 'one of the pigs got what was coming to them.' I live in a world where danger is everywhere, even from innocent people."

Duo nodded. "I understand that now." _I understand that even if I'm afraid for you, I can't hurt you by refusing you. I can't just leave you without the support of someone you care for while you go out and risk your life every day for people who don't give a shit about you, or how much you do for them._

"You do?" Heero looked startled and Duo had to repress a chuckle.

"Yeah," Duo smiled. "Trowa talked to me on the way home. Well, bullied me is more like it. I'm glad he did. I never would have gathered the courage to come up here otherwise."

Heero smirked. "Trowa does have a way with words. He even bullies me every now and then. There are nights I'll stay up far too late working on cases and reports and he'll cluck around like a mother hen until I've gone to bed. He's my best friend."

Duo laughed. "Quatre is exactly the same way. Those two were _made_ for each other, I swear."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, when I first met Quat out on the streets he took me home and fed me. Let me stay there as long as I liked, too. Oh, I went home to mom every now and then to let her know I was alright... but Quat kept me going, kept me alive. If I came down with so much as a sniffle, he would take the day off of work and hover over me, feeding me home remedies and decongestants."

Heero laughed softly. "You're right. They do deserve each other."

They sat there silent for a few moments before Duo gathered his nerves and said, "Could we... I mean..." he shook his head a little frustrated at not being able to say what he wanted to.

"I know what you mean."

Duo's heart leapt and he stared into Heero's eyes. "Then what's your answer?"

Heero smiled, moved closer to the braided man, and simply kissed him. "Yes. My answer is yes."


	15. Sorry, loves

I need to apologise. My life has been taking drastic twisty turns over the last year or so. I thought everything was going to be fine when the new year started.

I was wrong. My father passed away on November tenth and I can't continue these stories. They hold too much of my past with him within them and it hurts too much to continue.

I'm so sorry, guys. I'll still be drabbling and one-shotting. I just... can't keep going here.


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